City sued by Italian advocate over renamed Columbus park

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Columbus Parks and Recreation department is being sued by an Italian American after accusations that the city is demonstrating hostility toward its namesake.

The lawsuit is based on a single park, Christopher Columbus Square, which was renamed Warren Square after a petition from the Italian Village Society. Now, some Italian Americans say its part of an ongoing effort to erase his influence, and say the name change violates the city's own rules.

John Cardi said he stands for Italian people and Christopher Columbus. Cardi said he "absolutely" recognizes Columbus was a flawed figure, but he feels Italian community members were disregarded in the renaming.

The flaws Cardi recognized led the city to make the change in the first place, part of city efforts to distance itself from its namesake. The city cites the use of violence and slavery in 1492 and the introduction of diseases to the Americas as reasons to lean away from celebrating Columbus as a historical figure.

According to the Parks and Recreation Department's naming guidelines, a park can only be renamed if the person its named for "comes into disrepute in relation to the community at large."

Cardi argues Columbus does not fall into these restrictions. He said he is further frustrated because the city did not consult any local Italian organizations in the decision.

Members of the Columbus Italian Club agreed and said they felt silenced when city leaders canceled Columbus Day celebrations, removed the Santa Maria replica from the Scioto River and removed the Columbus statue at City Hall. The statue was especially poignant for the club, who said they saw it as the city's most iconic tribute to Christopher Columbus.

"So I don't see that it would be at all possible or recommended that you could rename our city and Columbia University, the District of Columbia, Columbus, Georgia," James Sisto, the Columbus Italian Club's attorney, said. "I mean, the name Columbus, or Columbo, which was his Italian name, is all over the United States. It's all over the world. We just happen to be the largest city in the world, named after Christopher Columbus."

A city spokesperson said the city is committed to multi-cultural representation, and said they have received feedback from community members that Christopher Columbus' legacy does not respect the city's values.

Sisto was part of an arts council group that spent three years discussing what to do with the Columbus statue, eventually concluding it should be displayed again. However, the city then got a grant to start the study all over again, and Sisto said Italian voices are being ignored.

For more information on the city's namesake debate, tune into The Spectrum this Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on NBC4.