Thousands of African day laborers live in Italy,often illegally and without employment contracts. Harvesting crops is hard work and living conditions are abysmal. The tensions came to a head in January when a protest by farm workers in Calabria turned violent.After police stepped in,many laborers were shipped off to detention centers. But many more soon took their place,supplied by the Mafia,which receives commissions and protection money. Elsewhere in Italy,few seem to care about the workers' fate.