Thursday April 12 1:05 PM ET
New Black Panther Party Plans Anti-Clinton Protest

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A group of black activists plans to protest former President Bill Clinton's decision to open offices in New York's historic neighborhood of Harlem, calling it part of ``the white takeover of black Harlem.''

Clinton has long been popular among black voters, and many local politicians and residents warmly welcomed the news he would be part of the neighborhood. But the New Black Panther Party views his presence differently.

``Our objections are about gentrification, the white takeover of black Harlem,'' said party spokesman and campaign organizer Malik Zulu Shabazz, referring to the recent business development of Harlem, particularly historic 125th Street.

``Poor blacks and black businesses are being pushed out of Harlem in favor of elite whites ... Bill Clinton is a perfect symbol of the reality of the white takeover. He is opening the floodgates now for complete gentrification of Harlem,'' Shabazz said.

The campaign, starting Friday with a demonstration outside Clinton's new office and a community meeting, is in the name of the group's late former leader Khalid Abdul Muhammad, Shabazz said. Muhammad, a former Nation of Islam official known for venomous attacks on Jews, whites and gays, died in February from the affects of a stroke.

Clinton, after heavy criticism for choosing a high-rent Manhattan skyscraper for his post-presidential offices, turned to Harlem, where the rent was cheaper. The 14th floor of a New York City-owned office building is undergoing renovations and the two-term Democratic president who left office on Jan. 20 has yet to move in.

``There goes the neighborhood,'' said Charles Barron, a black politician who supports the New Black Panther Party, which draws on the name of the Black Panther Party militant political
organization founded in the mid-1960s.

Barron was critical of some of Clinton's political positions, such as welfare reform and the death penalty, that he said harmed the black community.

``I'm not impressed with him moving to Harlem,'' he added. ''It's not who lives next door to you. It's who is committed to you and your agenda in a real sense, and I don't get that from Bill Clinton.''

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