One of the biggest influences of the civil rights movement on LCN was Joe Columbo's Italian-American Civil Rights League. The name and the tactics were inspired by the civil rights movement. Columbo claimed Italian Americans were just as victimized by stereotyping and prejudice as were blacks. He used the same tactics, including picketing, public demonstrations, and pressuring news media.
It was a noble idea, but the wrong guy was leading the crusade. The hypocrisy of a guy like Colombo leading that movement would be tantamount Bernie Madoff claiming that he was a victim of anti-Semitism. It's absurd when you think about it.
