Italians React to Columbia Killing

The tragic murder of Columbia University student Davide Giri, a Ph.D. student in computer science who was stabbed to death in Morningside Heights last week, has shocked students not only here in New York but across the Atlantic.

European news outlets reported the death of Giri, who was originally from Italy and grew up near the city of Torino. Alleged killer Vincent Pinkney stabbed a second victim, Roberto Malaspina, the same night before being apprehended; in a strange coincidence, Malaspina, who survived the attack, is also Italian. Some young people in Italy who initially harbored dreams of living abroad in New York expressed newfound concerns after reading reports of the double stabbing.

“Hearing about Giri’s death confirmed my worst fears about NYC and reinforced my habits of not walking alone and avoid[ing] secluded places at night,” says Irene Bonetti, a 24-year-old student from Italy who is about to begin medical school in New York.

“[I was] shocked, to be honest, it’s something that I never experienced since I arrived here,” says Andrea Sannino, a 30-year-old employee of Garofalo Pasta who grew up in Naples, Italy and now lives in New York. “Yes, the area might be dangerous especially during the night, but it’s always a huge astonishment to hear ... news like that.”

The murder has garnered widespread media attention in Italy, with New York and its crime rate suddenly a hot topic of conversation. “Almost all the news on TV reported the incident, and most of my peers have heard about it from the media,” adds Bonetti.

“Violent and Dangerous”

Historically, Italy and New York have been closely tied; the Big Apple is home to the third-largest concentration of Italian descendants outside Italy. In 2011, the American Community Survey found that there were 49,075 people born in Italy who currently live in New York. The popular Facebook page Il Mio Viaggio A New York (“My Trip To New York”) promotes tours and excursions for Italians visiting the city. However, the recent attacks on Giri and Malaspina may have slightly soured the country’s fascination with New York.

The Italian-language New York newspaper La Voce di New York published a bleak article this week responding to Giri’s murder and stating that “New York is ... violent and dangerous.” It equated the city today to its crime-ridden state in the 1970s, and that the tragedy which befell Giri “could happen to anyone anywhere” in New York. The article’s grim portrayal of life in New York echoes a concern, shared by some Italians, that large American cities may be unsafe because of their high rates of violent crime compared to their Italian counterparts.

Others, however, say the incident has not impacted their New York dreams.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it, [though] of course always be careful,” says Luca Gallotta, 26, a student from the Campania region of Italy who says he hopes to study photography at FIT in New York someday. “NYC is extremely huge, even if there [were] a killer who want[ed] to kill only Italians I’d apply the same.”

“This must be considered as a single event,” agrees Sannino, the Garofalo employee. “Some areas are dangerous and it’s better to stay away, but ... overall I think this sad story won’t stop students to come to NYC.”