12 Gazette www.gazettechicago.com eedition.gazettechicago.com April 2, 2021 By Nathan Worcester On a windy March 14 afternoon in Arrigo Park, before the plinth once occupied by a statue of Christo- pher Columbus, the faces were solemn-it was the 130th anniver- sary of the March 14, 1891, lynch- ings of 11 Italian Americans in New Orleans, Louisiana. "This is something that is a little told story," explained Ron Onesti, head of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans (JCCIA) and organizer of the gathering. "They couldn't find the killer of a police chief, so they just rounded up all the Italians." Police charged 19 Sicilian men with murder, but none of them confessed. In a trial of nine of them, none were found guilty, a jury ac- quitted six and the judge declared a mistrial for three. The judge left them in jail for one more night. "The next morning, when the citizens of New Orleans found they were acquitted, they took matters into their own hands," said Onesti. "They stormed the jail and shot eleven and dragged them to the square and hanged them all. It's the largest mass lynching in U.S. history by vigilantes. "There's been too much divi- siveness," said Onesti. "When we talk about oppression, when we talk about racism, it's a cancer that affects everybody. We're all in this together." As Onesti spoke, a gust of wind tipped over one of the Sicilian flags that, along with Italian and U.S. flags, ringed the square. A group of men quickly came to- gether to lift it back up. Displays complemented the flags, which flanked a central po- dium. One display featured in- flammatory newspaper headlines from the time, which described the Italians as "thugs" and a "wretched Sicilian band." The other display was part of a formal apology from the City of New Orleans to the that city's Italian-American com- munity and the descendants of the victims, issued by New Orle- ans Mayor LaToya Cantrell in 2019. 'Lawlessness never the answer' Several community leaders and local officials spoke. Onesti started, explaining that the events of March 14, 1891, show "lawless- ness is never the answer." "This horrific event occurred in 1891, the same year the statue of Christopher Columbus that once stood here was cast in Rome, It- aly," Onesti added. "This event also resulted in our first Columbus Day of 1892." "I'm glad that we are here to- day to commemorate such an ex- perience, because if we do not un- derstand the history, we are bound to repeat it," said Alderman Jason Ervin of the 28th Ward, which in- cludes Arrigo Park. "In today's America, we have much to be proud of," said Cook County Board President Toni Pre- ckwinkle. "But we know that our country is far, far from perfect. Over the course of the past 250 years, fear of the other, the foreign, the unfamiliar has driven hatred. I feel this personally. Thousands of Afri- can Americans were lynched in this country-thousands. While it may be difficult, events like this are cru- cial. It provides a place to grieve, a space to process past harms. "I think it's important for our immigrant communities and those of us who are descended from im- migrants, not to mention those of us who are descended from slaves, to remember that fear of the un- known has often driven hatred and prejudice," added Preckwinkle. "We as a country have to do better for the new waves of immigrants who come to our borders today." The other speakers who recited the story of March 14, 1891, in- cluded Carlo Bucaro of Chicago Italian Patriots, Polish American Congress Illinois Division President
Locals, officials remember Italian victims of New Orleans lynchings
Photo by Christopher Valentino
"Events like this are crucial," said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, because they provide "a place to grieve."
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