it took the courage of a few individuals -- and one in particular, businesswoman raffaella ottaviano. she was the first here to stand up to the camorra. >> two young men. one kept watch while the other demanded protection money. don't you want to know how much, they said, you have three stores. i replied, i might have five or six, but i'm still not interested in what you're selling. and in that moment they left. reporter: that was in 2004. ottaviano reported them to the police and then she founded an association against mafia extortion. at first she received more assistance from the authorities than from local people. ercolano's former state prosecutor rosario cantelmo was a big supporter. he'd tried to ensure justice and security for ercolano's residents, but they'd refused to help. >> the police would record discussions between business people and the extortionists, which also provided evidence as to how the extortion schemes worked. but when we approached business owners about these discussions they'd dismiss them, saying, that's not my voice, i don't know anything about it. fear s