Cracking the Cold Case That Created Columbus Day

S.R. Perricone, a former federal prosecutor, has solved a pivotal case that went cold over a century ago — and the discovery needs to be preserved on film. In his new book, Cobblestones: A New Orleans Tragedy, Perricone identifies who really killed New Orleans Police Chief David Hennessy in 1890, a crime that triggered the largest lynch mob in U.S. history to murder 11 innocent Italian immigrants. The killings cast shame over the Italian American community, sparked mafia stereotypes that persist even today, and created a diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Italy.

Remember, this brutal tragedy is the reason Columbus Day exists. President Benjamin Harrison organized the first national Columbus Day holiday in 1892 as a peace offering to calm th international outrage and encourage tolerance toward immigrants. In fact, such violence in America was a key reason Mother Cabrini launched her mission in the West, and in New Orleans specifically.

We're asking you to help fund the production costs — filming, editing, and archiving — to turn Mr. Perricone's groundbreaking investigative work and historical presentation into a short documentary film that can be preserved and shared for generations to come. History is the platform for peace, and this case has waited 130 years to be told.

Thank you to the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO) for its support of this cause.

Respectfully,

Michael A. Santo, Esq.