Obama between Bombs and Harlem

Many bombs have fallen since the last time Obama stepped in Harlem. And yet in the black heart of New York he is still worshiped as the “prophet,” placed in murals next to Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela.

125th Street is buzzing again briefly with the arrival of Barack, the “blessed,” but nothing compares to that magical night when he was elected, not even when he was a candidate in Sept. 2008 and came to visit Bill Clinton (who was surely just about to desert the neighborhood).

Obama has returned this time to shake hands and “loosen” the wallets of a handful of rich men, stationed at The Red Rooster, a restaurant owned by his friend, the chef, Marcus Samuelsson. More than 50 individuals paid $30,800 each to attend the event. The “check” of one and a half million dollars went into the pocket of the Democratic Party, which is already thinking about the 2012 re-election campaign.

Unaware of the illustrious African American’s visit, Harlem continued on its way, less exciting and more colorful than the bland Midtown, despite the racial displacement that inevitably spreads north.

“Now we are all mixed, and that’s great, but rents have shot up and now I’m looking for an apartment in the Bronx,” bemoans John Bailey, 58 years old, a veteran and ex-Marine, according to the card poking out from his shirt. Bailey adjusts his sun glasses and stops in front of a mural of Obama, one of many that are painted around the neighborhood, found in the metal shutter of Puppy’s Leather (closed due to the crisis).

“Honestly, Obama hasn’t addressed a lot of our problems, but I think he is a good man,” says Bailey, beer in hand, not knowing if his exuberance should be attributed to the alcohol or his natural sympathy. “This thing with Libya is a nuisance, because the last thing that this country needs is another war. But crazy Gadhafi leaves us no other option. When I was 19 I was injured while in training and couldn’t participate in any battle. But I have lost lots of friends …”

Bailey carries, like many, the illusion to peer into the ears of the “blessed,” but the billboards keep him from coming closer. One of the last mortals to peer into the window of The Red Hood with the best of intentions was Andre Evens, a real estate agent. “Obama is now a real black power. He is very well connected, no doubt. I think he will be elected again without problems. Who will the Republicans present? Sarah Palin?”

He could have chosen Sylvia’s, the birthplace of “soul food,” but Obama opted for the new and more affluent Harlem (although he probably had second thoughts when he saw the first item on the menu – pickled beets with hazelnuts). He also skipped “amateur” night at Apollo, and went to the Studio Museum instead, where he expected more donors.

It all proved that there is life, a lot of life beyond 125th street, and this perhaps marked the end of the phase eloquently titled by the New York Amsterdam News: “Obama’s war.” Twenty seven percent of blacks disapprove of the military action in Libya. The leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, issued a warning “in the name of Allah.” And Cornel West, the irreverent voice of the African American conscience, cannot hide his disappointment: “Obama supports banks and corporations, just like the Republicans, and underestimates the power of the people and the poor … No, he is far from achieving (our goals) and even farther from the dream of Martin Luther King.”