Evicted From Eternity_ The Restructuring of Modern Rome - Michael Herzfeld [189]
On 15 May, after considerable preparation, a press conference took place in the courtyard of the palazzo. A buzz of excitement heralded the event, at which the residents had, at our suggestion, mounted a photographic exhibition documenting the bank's neglect of the building. A long table was set up along one side, and chairs for guests were arranged in several rows facing the table, where a microphone was also provided. As the resident anthropologist, I found myself seated with city councilors from the Democratici di sinistra and the Alleanza nazionale, the Green Party senator and anthropologist Carla Rocchi, a senior official of the tenants' organization, the parliamentary vice-president of the Alleanza nazionale, and a representative standing in for Tozzi, who had himself been unable to come because of a cabinet reshuffle.21
The event was not well attended by journalists despite the residents' hope, which Tozzi had raised as a rationale for holding the press conference, that the event would put pressure on the bank to "come out into the open" ~uscire allo scoperto). The fact that Tozzi himself was absent, and that his representative seemed to have only a very vague knowledge of what was at stake, confirmed earlier suspicions that he would offer support of a very nominal kind, although his representative-who only came when the residents called Tozzi's office to inquire why he had not shown up-did vaguely promise that "[matters] will not end here."
For the politicians, especially those of opposed factions, the event seemed as much an opportunity for informal communication about other matters as a gesture of support for the residents. At one point the two senators, mortal enemies in Parliament, were strolling around chatting comfortably in front of the palazzo; the councilors for the two ends of the political spectrum seemed similarly at ease together. Observers were also bemused by the way that the right-wing representatives end up sounding like old-style Communists. On the surface, there was indeed a striking consensus across the entire ideological spectrum. But old political antipathies remained so strong that one housing rights activist initially refused to enter when he saw the Alleanza nazionale delegation, although he eventually agreed to attend at least part of the event.
The event achieved little. The poor press attendance was reflected in the rather meager publicity it garnered: a little television coverage, and articles in Ultime Notizie, II Tempo, and Secolo d'Italia-the last two being rightwing and far-right publications, respectively. There was not a word in the centrist or left-wing newspapers. Meanwhile, the bank reversed its earlier decision to allow the old lady to remain in the building to the end of her natural life, a move that the residents welcomed only as a serious public relations error that would now place the bank's credibility in serious doubt.
And so the struggle continued. On i i June, the head of the regional housing office wrote to the director of the bank, appealing for respect for the diverse social fabric, regardless of the legal technicalities, at least long enough to avoid embarrassing confrontations that would leave a stain on the Jubilee-a concern that Loredana, in particular, had accurately predicted. Still, however, there was apparently no reply. A meeting was held at the assessor's office with the residents and their political allies. Again the bank remained silent. Then, on 27 June, the residents held a second press conference, this time in the Flag Room of the Capitol, an imposing site that gave a sense of solemnity to the group of journalists, residents, and others who sat around its long central table. Tozzi introduced the formal discussion by reminding his audience that this was not the first