Tomorrow is Columbus Day,and a large parade is scheduled in Denver.Denver's North End was once populated by a large Italian community.In the late 1800s,Italian immigrants were at the bottom of the social ladder,but they clung to one icon as a measure of Italian importance to America...Christopher Columbus,the famous explorer responsible for discovery of the continent.The Columbus Day Parade became the focus of Italian Pride in Denver,just as it was in many other cities across the country.The tradition continued until the early 1990s,when confrontation and controversy generated by AIM(The American Indian Movement) and other Native American groups resulted in the termination of the parade.

This year,a group of Italian-Americans obtained a permit to hold the parade.Immediately,negotiations were held with AIM to avoid protests and confrontation.The meetings initially seemed to result in the retreat of the Italian-American sponsors,who agreed to rename it the Italian Pride Parade.And then,days ago, the Italian Americans withdrew from the compromise,saying that their agreement had been co-erced by AIM and the City of Denver.Now the rhetoric has escalated,with neither side backing down.A heavy police presence will be in evidence at the parade tomorrow,but the stage seems set for a powder-keg situation at Denver's Columbus Day Parade.