On Friday, when Mayor Bill Peduto backed the Pittsburgh Art Commission’s decision to remove the Columbus statue from Schenley Park, the Italian American community didn’t smash windows or light fires. Rather, Basil M. Russo, President of Italian Sons and Daughters of America — and the ISDA legal team led by attorney George Bochetto — secured a temporary injunction in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas that will block the city from removing the statue.

The Italian American community saved for decades to collect the $65,000 needed to build the 50-foot bronze and marble monument, and it is ISDA’s goal to secure a permanent ruling that would reverse the removal altogether.