Every time I walk by the statue of Christopher Columbus a few blocks south of my Philadelphia office, I get flashbacks about the hot, June days at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, days after George Floyd died from police brutality, a fentanyl overdose, or both.

You’ll remember that tensions were very high all over the country. The Black Lives Matter movement triggered a lot of anger against the presumed establishment.

Things were particularly heated in my hometown, and more particularly in my neighborhood. South Philly has traditionally been an enclave for first-, second-, third- and even fourth-generation Italians whose immigrant heritage stretches back to the southern part of the boot.

I am not a South Philly native, but I’ve worked and sometimes lived in the area for over 30 ye

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