The Italian American experience in New York was revisited at the southern tip of Broadway at Bowling Green Park to celebrate Italian American heritage and the 22nd anniversary of Arturo DiModica’s world renowned, iconic statue, the Charging Bull, at Bowling Green for an Italian flag-raising ceremony on Mon., January 2.
Bowling Green Association Chairman Arthur Piccolo said, “The Bull at Bowling Green is the greatest attraction for millions of tourists and it makes no sense to have the bull caged. We can have good security around it like other tourist venues around New York City.”
Piccolo added that he understood that the cage would be temporarily placed around the bull until the weekend when the cage would be permanently removed. However as of press time on Tuesday the barricades were back and the bull was once again caged. Prior to the Occupy Wall Street protests it was uncaged, even following the 9/11 attacks and the resulting security measures.
The Italian American Museum’s President, Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa emphatically stated, “Uncage our bull! It doesn’t deserve to be caged and needs to be unleashed. It represents the best of America, a positive and constructive America!”
A placing of flowers at the marker honoring the first Italian New Yorker who arrived here at Bowling Green on June 2, 1635, Pietro Alberti, followed the gathering.
-— Joseph M. Calisi
