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The statue of Christopher Columbus was a gift from Genoa to the city of Columbus, Ohio
Nothing beats it…
Nothing remains more absurd than Columbus, Ohio tearing down the statue of the very person their city was named after.
Now, comes a moment of reckoning.
A coalition of Italian American groups and individuals have filed a major federal lawsuit demanding the return of the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus, Ohio.
Once again, attorney George Bochetto, coming off a string of stunning victories in Philadelphia and elsewhere, will lead the troops in legal battle. He is joined for the coming showdown with law firm associate Ryan Kirk and Ohio attorney, Joseph L. Piccin.
Bochetto and company will argue that Columbus’ removal was not only unlawful, but discriminatory. Nothing less than the monument’s full restoration to its original place of honor is the demand of Italian American plaintiffs. The lawsuit claims the statue was a symbol of the city’s heritage and its historic bond with Genoa, Italy.
The statue of Christopher Columbus was a gift from Genoa to the city of Columbus, Ohio
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Forces Gathered
Filed in federal court on April 7, the suit brings together a broad group of plaintiffs: the Columbus Piave Club, Friends of Christopher Columbus Foundation, the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations, the Abruzzi Club, the Order of the Sons & Daughters of Italy, the Columbus Italian Heritage Foundation, the Columbus Italian Club, the Estate of sculptor Edoardo Alfieri, and several individual Italian American plaintiffs from Ohio.
The defendants include the City of Columbus, Mayor Andrew Ginther, members of the Columbus Art Commission, and an array of federal agencies, among them the Departments of Justice, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Commerce, Education, Homeland Security, and Agriculture.
The plaintiffs say the statue never should have been removed and that its continued absence is an ongoing injustice to the Italian American community of Columbus, not to mention all Italian Americans in the country.
The Columbus Monument torn down in 2020
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A Gift from Genoa
For 65 years, the Christopher Columbus monument was proudly displayed outside Columbus City Hall. In 1955, the bronze statue was presented as a gift from Genoa, birthplace of Columbus, to the city that bears his name.
The statue, a 22-foot work by acclaimed Italian sculptor Edoardo Alfieri, was unveiled as part of Columbus’s first sister-city agreement. The gift, from Genoa, was made with the express understanding that the statue would remain prominently displayed outside City Hall “forever.”
The monument was not merely a civic decoration. Columbus—in bronze was a pledge of friendship between two cities and the public recognition of the role Italian Americans played in the life of Columbus, Ohio. In that telling, the statue became a visible sign of belonging for generations of Italian American families.
Amid national protests in 2020, Mayor Andrew Ginther caved. He succumbed to the pressure of the discontented mob to order the statue removed. The plaintiffs allege Ginther lacked legal authority to do so. They further contend that the city ignored its own charter and bypassed required historic-preservation procedures. The mayor acted in defiance of previous public commitments, including a unanimous 2015 City Council resolution to encourage ongoing ties between Columbus and Genoa.
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Many Wrongs Committed
The legal complaint advances several claims. One is that the removal violated the constitutional rights of Italian Americans by singling out a central symbol of their heritage for discriminatory treatment. Another is that the city breached the original donation agreement under which the statue was given. Still another argues that federal agencies continued to send funds into the Columbus Civic Center historic district without properly considering their obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act.
The complaint also invokes the rights of the sculptor’s estate under the Visual Artists Rights Act, contending that the long-term storage and continued displacement of the statue threaten damage to a work of recognized stature. Plaintiffs say the statue was designed for outdoor display, not indefinite neglect in storage.
In the complaint, Bochetto says that the removal was “illegal and discriminatory”—that the Italian American community was used as a “public whipping boy.” He calls for the court to stop the flow of federal funds, award damages, and compel the return of the statue to its “rightful location” outside City Hall.
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Don't Erase Our Legacy
For Italian Americans, the issue has never been just one monument. It is about whether our history is treated as a legitimate part of the American story or as something disposable—a scapegoat option when political winds shift.
The plaintiffs are fighting for us. We Italian Americans stand with them. We see the statue not as an abstract object in a culture war, but as a gift, a contract, a work of art, and a public affirmation of a people whose contributions have too often been caricatured or ignored.
This lawsuit is about legacy as much as law.
Can a city named for Columbus erase his presence?
Neache per sogno! (Not even in your dreams)
Editor’s Note:
The web site for the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations is https://copomiao.org
READ HERE THE NEW EDITION - FIRST 2026 PRIMO
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