It was at this time that law officials and the media began to refer to his outfit as "The Colombo Family" rather than "The Profaci Family."
Three months later on June 29, the first rally of the group was called to celebrate Italian Unity Day, at Columbus Circle in mid-town Manhattan. Over 50,000 people turned up. The circus had begun.
Five U.S. Congressmen attended and gave speeches, as well as noted black comedian Godfrey Cambridge to add another minority�s support. In his speech to the crowd, Joe stated " if the FBI and Justice Department want to make me boss of a Mafia family, so that�s what I�ll be. And I�ll use my position to help people of Italian-American heritage." Nicolas Pileggi, who covered the event for New York Magazine later wrote, "He made allies of his own victims."
Subsequently, Attorney General John Mitchell ordered the FBI to stop using the words "Mafia" and "Cosa Nostra" in their reports. The producers of the film The Godfather had to delete all reference to the word "Mafia," which was akin to making a movie about Jesus and not using the word "God" anywhere in it. The New York Times banned the use of the words. It was deleted from any TV production. The League grew and prospered. In November 1970, Frank Sinatra and other top stars performed at a Madison Square Garden benefit and raised $500,000. Most of which went straight to the Mafia. People lined up and paid money - straight into the Mob�s pockets.
By the end of 1970, Colombo had achieved a minor miracle - the League had grown to 150,000 members, with over 50 chapters across the country, and raised more than $1 million, most of which went straight to the founder. Joe had perpetrated the ultimate rip-off: a million-dollar racket that was all above board.
In March 1971, at a swank Long Island restaurant, the League proclaimed him " Man of the Year." In his acceptance speech he said, "The League is under God�s eyes and those who try to stop it will feel his sting." Three months later at the next and final rally, he found out just how strong that sting would be.
June 29th was the day chosen for the second rally, the venue would again be Columbus Circle. Joe had become, by this time, obsessed with the movement. He couldn�t let it go. He loved the fame and the publicity. He even went on the Dick Cavett TV show to talk about aims and ambitions. But behind the scenes, the other mob bosses were worried about all the publicity and the growing public awareness of " their thing." Organized crime had thrived, like mushrooms do, by being in the dark. Like some mythical vampire, they were starting to hurt because of the light shining on them; Carlo Gambino, in particular, was furious at Colombo�s grandstanding.
And coming up on Joe�s flank was a bad dream from his past: after almost 10 years in the pen at Sing Sing, Crazy Joe Gallo was back on the streets of Brooklyn.
When Gallo arrived home in March Colombo sent him a welcome home gift of $1000. Crazy Joe sent it back, telling Colombo, " he could stick it up his ass." And Joey laid down his demands. He wanted all his old rackets back and control of his old turf in an around President and Carroll Streets and Atlantic Avenue in South Brooklyn. It was a David and Goliath situation with Gallo and about 20 hoods up against Colombo, who had an army of made men and associates that numbered over 500.
Crazy Joe�s group was a strange mixture. As well as the usual Italian-Americans, he had a Greek, 2 Syrians, an Irish man and a Jew. His long-term plans included integrating blacks and Hispanics to help control the multimillion-dollar numbers business in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He often referred to his aim to operate "an equal opportunity mob."
Gallo and Colombo manoeuvred around each other in the weeks leading up to the rally. Colombo was busy with the organization details. Gallo was stirring up interest, meeting with black racketeers in South Brooklyn, Bed Stuy and Harlem and making sure that all posters referring to the rally were torn down and removed from South Brooklyn.
On June 28, a sunny Monday morning, Joe was ready for his big day. Rocco Miraglia his bodyguard picked him up at 10:30 a.m. and drove him over to Columbus Circle. He arrived at the venue and walked over to the speaker's platform. His sons Joe Jr. and Anthony were already there helping with the arrangements, as were about 50 of his men. Also present were police, T.V. reporters, newspaper photographers, and vendors hawking hot dogs and ice cream, and about 4000 visitors.
Joe was wearing a white, open-neck short sleeve shirt, dark slacks and the usual highly polished black shoes. As he approached the platform, a tall young black man holding a 16-millimeter Bolex movie camera moved close filming Colombo. As Joe reached the steps to the platform, the black man dropped the camera, pulled out a 7.54-millimeter pistol and shot Colombo three times into the head and neck from less than three feet away. Joe stumbled forward onto the steps as his son Joe Jr., another Colombo soldier and two police officers grabbed the black man, Jerome Johnson, and wrestled him to the ground. As the cops struggled to handcuff Johnson, a short, stocky man, only ever identified as "Chubby" pushed forward and leaning over between the outstretched legs of one of the officers, shot Johnson dead, and then escaped into the crowds teeming around the platform.