ITALIAN AMERICAN UNITY DAY.

ITALIAN AMERICAN UNITY DAY. Back when I lived on Downing Street, Joe Colombo, a gangster whose adventurous life is described in this wikipedia article, created Italian American Unity Day. The first year, it was a great success. The next year the area near where I lived was festooned with paint and banners in the green, white and red of Italy’s flag. The decorations only went about half way down the block and did not reach my building (remember that the charming part of the block was near Bedford Street and didn’t reach as far as my building). At that time, I frequently heard the claim that Italian neighborhoods were safe neighborhoods because Mafia types didn’t want trouble near them and would crack down on crime. The day before Italian American Unity Day, I was standing on the steps of my building with a neighbor. He looked down the street and joked, “I hope the protection reaches this far.” Joe Colombo was shot the next day at the Italian American Unity Day ceremonies, by a man who was immediately shot to death by another killer. After I came home that evening, I walked through streets that seemed desolate.