“Nomads” in the eternal city. Local policies and Roma participation in the emergency era

In this article I analyse the emergence of Roma leaders in Rome, a novelty which has accompanied the implementation of the Nomads Plan by Alemanno's administration, within the context of the declaration of a national emergency concerning “nomad community settlements” in 2008. Following the scientific literature on migrants' participation, I start from an analysis of the policy documents presented by the new Mayor; then I focus on the eviction of one of the oldest and biggest nomad camps in Rome, Casilino 900. This case-study allows us to detect the concrete consequences of the Plan and how a Roma leadership gains visibility and is acknowledged by the Municipality. Finally, it will be possible to recognize the persistence of “campi sosta” as the template of Roma policies in Rome, a relevant element of continuity between Alemanno's city government and his predecessors of the left wing, a template that the new Roma leaders accept.