Locals turn tables on Mass. city after they scrub Italian colors from street after almost a century
The red, green and white stripes, representing the colors of the Italian flag, have been a fixture of Adams Street in Newton's Nonantum neighborhood since 1935 and are repainted every year ahead of the annual festival, NBC 10 reported.
6 Italian flag colors removed from Mass. street causes resident uprising.
NBC
6 A marching band in red shirts and black pants playing instruments at an Italian American festival.
St Mary of Carmen Society/Facebook
The iconic lines were replaced overnight on June 26 with standard double-yellow lines, the outlet reported.
'This is something my parents grew up with,' resident Costanzo Mancone, who lives on the street, told the outlet.
'They came from Italy. They came here and they felt at home, this was their home. And now they've taken this away, they're taking everything away,' he said.
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller claimed the move was a safety decision, citing a 2024 traffic analysis that showed the street as one of the top five areas for crashes, the outlet reported.
6 The red, green and white stripes, representing the colors of the Italian flag, have been a fixture of Adams Street in Newton's Nonantum neighborhood since 1935.
NBC
But angered residents of the town, where many Italian immigrants have settled, took matters into their own hands.
Locals had covered most of the centerline with their original Italian flag colors by the end of the town's 90th annual Italian American Festival — which kicked off on July 16 and ended last Sunday, the New York Times reported.
'They could've waited until after the festival,' resident Mike Callahan told NBC.
'The festival's only five days long. They could've done it on July 21,' added Callahan, who started a petition with thousands of signatures to bring back the historic lines before the festival. 'There was no reason for them to do it now.'
6 The iconic lines were replaced overnight on June 26 with standard double-yellow lines, the outlet reported.
NBC
6 Angered residents of the town, where many Italian immigrants have settled, took matters into their own hands.
NBC
6 Locals had covered most of the centerline with their original Italian flag colors by the end of the town's 90th annual Italian American Festival.
NBC
One 54-year-old man was even briefly detained for trying to spray paint green, white, and red lines over the yellow ones in outrage, police told the outlet.
The St. Mary of Carmen Society, which organizes the festival, said its members were never notified of the overnight change, the outlet reported.
'These lines are not just paint, they are sacred symbols of Italian American pride, religious tradition and community identity,' the St. Mary of Carmen Society wrote in a statement.
The group claimed the action was 'a slap in the face.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
10 hours ago
- New York Post
Locals turn tables on Mass. city after they scrub Italian colors from street after almost a century
A Massachusetts city abruptly scrubbed the Italian colors off a street ahead of a cultural festival — but outraged residents illegally sprayed them right back onto the pavement, according to reports. The red, green and white stripes, representing the colors of the Italian flag, have been a fixture of Adams Street in Newton's Nonantum neighborhood since 1935 and are repainted every year ahead of the annual festival, NBC 10 reported. 6 Italian flag colors removed from Mass. street causes resident uprising. NBC 6 A marching band in red shirts and black pants playing instruments at an Italian American festival. St Mary of Carmen Society/Facebook The iconic lines were replaced overnight on June 26 with standard double-yellow lines, the outlet reported. 'This is something my parents grew up with,' resident Costanzo Mancone, who lives on the street, told the outlet. 'They came from Italy. They came here and they felt at home, this was their home. And now they've taken this away, they're taking everything away,' he said. Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller claimed the move was a safety decision, citing a 2024 traffic analysis that showed the street as one of the top five areas for crashes, the outlet reported. 6 The red, green and white stripes, representing the colors of the Italian flag, have been a fixture of Adams Street in Newton's Nonantum neighborhood since 1935. NBC But angered residents of the town, where many Italian immigrants have settled, took matters into their own hands. Locals had covered most of the centerline with their original Italian flag colors by the end of the town's 90th annual Italian American Festival — which kicked off on July 16 and ended last Sunday, the New York Times reported. 'They could've waited until after the festival,' resident Mike Callahan told NBC. 'The festival's only five days long. They could've done it on July 21,' added Callahan, who started a petition with thousands of signatures to bring back the historic lines before the festival. 'There was no reason for them to do it now.' 6 The iconic lines were replaced overnight on June 26 with standard double-yellow lines, the outlet reported. NBC 6 Angered residents of the town, where many Italian immigrants have settled, took matters into their own hands. NBC 6 Locals had covered most of the centerline with their original Italian flag colors by the end of the town's 90th annual Italian American Festival. NBC One 54-year-old man was even briefly detained for trying to spray paint green, white, and red lines over the yellow ones in outrage, police told the outlet. The St. Mary of Carmen Society, which organizes the festival, said its members were never notified of the overnight change, the outlet reported. 'These lines are not just paint, they are sacred symbols of Italian American pride, religious tradition and community identity,' the St. Mary of Carmen Society wrote in a statement. The group claimed the action was 'a slap in the face.'
Buzz Feed
16 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
18 People Who Thought 'What's The Worst That Could Possibly Happen?' And Then Pretty Much Immediately Found Out
The person who will not be traveling today: The person who loves their kids very much, I'm sure: The person who had a big giant thing from presumably the heavens fall on their AC: The person whose house no longer belongs to them: The person whose ice cream was sampled by a BARBARIAN: The person who was kind enough to share their sandwich with some tiny friends: The person who loves their cat very much, I'm sure: The person who will NOT be getting a "bless you" from me today: The person whose window just got a hip new make-over: The person who might want to take up a life of crime: The person who picked the wrong place to pee: The person whose giant feet exude power: The person who is about to be patient zero for a brand new illness: The person who lost mankind's eternal war: The person who got a special little happy surprise at the bottom of their coffee: The person who fell victim to the ol' popcorn or filling trick: The person who is about to become your worst nightmare on the road: And the person whose pizza is an affront to all things good and Italian: Mamma mia.
New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Italian Flag Colors Were Removed From a Street. Residents Rebelled.
Every year in mid-July, a scene straight out of an Italian village unfolds in a tight-knit neighborhood of Newton, Mass. A boisterous procession of residents parades down the middle of Adams Street at night, carrying lit candles and pulling a statue of the Blessed Virgin in a cart. For 90 years, the street had a centerline painted red, white and green — the colors of the Italian flag — in a nod to the many Italian Americans in the neighborhood, Nonantum, and their annual festival. Then, one night last month, the city sent a crew to replace the tricolor line with standard reflective yellow stripes. Newton's mayor said the change was made to improve traffic safety, citing an analysis that found Adams Street had a higher-than-average number of crashes. To some Nonantum residents, it was an assault on their heritage — especially given the timing, three weeks before the start of their beloved festival. 'These lines are not just paint, they are sacred symbols of Italian American pride, religious tradition and community identity,' the St. Mary of Carmen Society, the local group that holds the festival, wrote in a statement. The city's action, it added, was 'a slap in the face.' Newton, a suburb of Boston known for liberal politics, pricey real estate and highly regarded schools, is made up of nine 'villages,' each with its own identity. Nonantum has long been a neighborhood where immigrants settle. Irish and French Canadians came in the first half of the 19th century, followed by Italian and Jewish immigrants in the 1880s, said Jordan Lee Wagner, a longtime resident who has studied local history. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
