Editing Joseph Colombo (section)

==Italian-American Civil Rights League==
In April 1970, Colombo created the [[Italian-American Civil Rights League]]. That same month, his son Joseph Colombo Jr. was charged with melting down coins for resale as silver ingots.<ref name="start">{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/small-time-mob-boss-joe-colombo-great-civil-rights-crusade-article-1.806268|title=Small-time mob boss Joe Colombo's great civil rights crusade|work=New York Daily News|date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> In response, Joseph Colombo Sr. claimed FBI harassment of Italian-Americans and, on April 30, 1970, sent 30 [[picketing|picketers]] outside FBI headquarters at Third Avenue and 69th Street to protest the federal persecution of all Italians everywhere; this went on for weeks.<ref name="start" /> On June 29, 1970, 50,000 people attended the first Italian Unity Day rally in [[Columbus Circle]] in [[New York City]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/06/30/archives/thousands-of-italians-here-rally-against-ethnic-slurs-thousands-of.html|title=Thousands of Italians Here Rally Against Ethnic Slurs|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 30, 1970}}</ref><ref name="unity day">{{cite news|title=Italo-Americans Press Unity Day|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1970/06/18/76769512.pdf|access-date=2011-11-09|newspaper=New York Times|date=June 18, 1970}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ME82pxNlFpQC&q=italian+civil+rights+league+macy%27s+commercial&pg=PA214|title=The Journey of the Italians in America|year=2008|publisher=Pelican|author=Vincenza Scarpaci|isbn=9781455606832}}</ref> In February 1971, Colombo Jr. was acquitted of the federal charge after the chief witness in the trial was arrested on [[perjury]] charges.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/27/archives/colombo-acquitted-in-conspiracy-case-colombo-witness-held-on.html|title=Colombo Acquitted In Conspiracy Case|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 27, 1971}}</ref>

Under Colombo's guidance, the League grew quickly and achieved national attention. Unlike other mob leaders who shunned the spotlight, Colombo appeared on television interviews, fundraisers and speaking engagements for the League. In 1971, Colombo aligned the League with [[Rabbi]] and political activist [[Meir Kahane]]'s [[Jewish Defense League]], claiming that both groups were being harassed by the federal government.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kaplan|first=Morris|title=Kahane and Colombo Join Forces to Fight Reported U.S. Harassment|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1971/05/14/91283122.pdf|access-date=2011-11-09|newspaper=New York Times|date=May 14, 1971}}</ref> At one point, Colombo posted [[bail]] for 11 jailed JDL members.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rosenthal|first=Richard|title=Rookie cop : deep undercover in the Jewish Defense League|year=2000|publisher=Leapfrog Press|location=Wellfleet, Mass.|isbn=0-9654578-8-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CzGfl-J3FBgC&q=%22Joseph+Colombo%22&pg=PA169}}</ref>

===''The Godfather''===
In the spring of 1971, [[Paramount Pictures]] started filming ''[[The Godfather]]'' with the assistance of Colombo and the League. Due to its subject matter, the film originally faced great opposition from Italian-Americans to filming in New York. However, after producer [[Albert Ruddy]] met with Colombo and agreed to excise the terms "Mafia" and "Cosa Nostra" from the film, the League cooperated fully.<ref name="making godfather">{{cite news|last=Pileggi|first=Nicholas|title=The Making of 'The Godfather: Sort of a Home Movie|url=https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/godfather-ar1.html|access-date=2011-11-09|newspaper=New York Times|date=August 15, 1971}}</ref> The first meeting involved Ruddy, Colombo, Colombo's son Anthony and 1500 delegates from Colombo's Italian-American Civil Rights League.<ref name="thestacksreader" /> Ruddy would afterwards hold numerous meetings with Anthony, which led to assurance that the film would be based on individuals and would not defame or stereotype a group.<ref name="thestacksreader">{{cite news |last1=Pileggi |first1=Nicholas |author2-link=Nicholas Pileggi |title=The Making of "The Godfather"—Sort of a Home Movie |url=http://www.thestacksreader.com/the-making-of-the-godfather-sort-of-a-home-movie/ |access-date=May 28, 2024 |work=The New York Times Magazine |date=August 15, 1971 |issn=0028-7822 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211081245/http://www.thestacksreader.com/the-making-of-the-godfather-sort-of-a-home-movie/ |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |location=The Stacks Reader |format=Archive}}</ref>