By Arthur Kane
Denver Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 19, 2001  

In an effort to prevent violence, 11 Italian-American groups said Tuesday 
that they will avoid the Columbus Day parade in Denver and urged others 
to boycott it.

 "We don't think it's proper to march and have strife . . . in such a
time of mourning and grief,"  said Dave Sprecace, chairman of the Denver
Columbus Day Parade Committee. The committee  plans to hold a parade
next year.

Despite the groups' plans, there still may be protests or clashes in the
streets because parade permit holder C.M. Mangiaracina is keeping the 
words "Columbus Day" in the name of  the Oct. 8 parade. American Indian 
and Hispanic groups have said they will oppose any march  with Columbus 
in the title.

Activist LeRoy Lemos said the Transform Columbus Day Alliance, a group
that has planned  alternative events for Columbus Day, hasn't discussed
what to do about Mangiaracina's  parade. But protests are likely if
Columbus is in the parade name, he said.

"Any activities that take place on the Columbus holiday, that celebrate
Columbus Day or have his name attached to it will be vigorously
protested," Lemos said. "Until I hear differently, that's what I'm
planning."

Mangiaracina, who holds the parade permit, said the event will be titled
"Columbus Day 2001: A National Day of Mourning" and will not celebrate
Columbus. It will honor those who died during the terrorist attacks in
New York City and Washington, D.C., and the terrorist-hijacked plane
that crashed in Pennsylvania.

"It will be a very sober walk in respect to all the people killed and
victims who remained," he said. "It will be a national day of mourning.
I can't imagine anyone . . . protesting it."

Manager of Safety Ari Zavaras said Tuesday that police will continue to
prepare for protests unless the groups find a way to resolve their
differences.

Last year, about 140 people were arrested protesting the first Columbus
Day parade in nine years, but city officials eventually dropped charges
against most of them.

The clashes traditionally have been between American Indian and
Italian-American groups, but this year the Italians are clashing with
each other.

Mangiaracina said some Italian groups are just upset that his original
parade name - before the terrorist attacks drove him to change it -
contained the phrase "Italian Pride," which he put in to make it tougher
for protesters to attack the parade. "They would violate the ethnic
intimidation law," he said.

But Joe Ciancio, president of the Grand Lodge-Sons of Italy, said
Mangiaracina was supposed to get a permit for all of them, but went off
on his own. Zavaras refused Friday to allow multiple parades to be held
on the same day.

"He got the permit without permission of Italian organizations," Ciancio
said. "The city is not going to give two permits. We, at the proper
time, might have to go to court" to get a permit for next year's parade.

Mangiaracina said those groups do not represent Denver Italians because
most live in the suburbs.

The 11 groups said they will hold a Columbus Day fundraiser at Rocky
Mountain Lake Park for the firefighters and police officers killed in
last week's attack.

The Transform Columbus Day Alliance is planning vigils Oct. 5-8 for
victims of terrorism and Columbus' exploitation of the Americas.