Nearly a century ago, when Buffalo's West Side was heavily Italian-American, the Federation of Italian-American Societies installed a large statue of Christopher Columbus along Porter Avenue, in what is now Columbus Park. The statute is now gone and the park name will be gone soon, as well.

Bella Ciao Buffalo describes itself as "next-generation Italian and Sicilian Buffalonians," compared to members of the Federation, who are older descendents. Bella Ciao activist Andrew Delmonte said people who live in the neighborhood now should decide what to do with the statue base, not the descendants of those who once lived in the community and originally installed the statue.