Harlem Bagel Shop Sparks Outrage Over Controversial Mascot
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This shop’s toasted.A Harlem bagel shop was forced to remove a cardboard cutout of its cartoon mascot after a viral TikTok video called it a “blackface owner.”Bo’s Bagels on West 116th Street displayed a larger-than-life cutout of a sunglasses-wearing bagel to advertise the spot’s fresh goods – until threats and harassment from the viral video forced the sign off the sidewalk and into hiding, owner Andrew Martinez told The Post. The influencer (pictured) decried the “problematic” cutout, and echoed photographer Carl Broady’s sentiment that the cutout was a “blackface bagel.” TikTok/blackstar.reviews“It got completely out of hand by a bunch of people who know nothing about us. And the rage was coming in from people who just wanted to call us racist,” said Martinez, a born-and-bred New Yorker who’s lived in Harlem for nearly 20 yearsThe life-sized cutout — which doubled as a chalkboard sign — featured the cartoon bagel flashing golden grills that read “Harlem World” and rocking a huge golden ring emblazoned with “NYC.” The bagel mascot was designed by Harlem-based artist Tom Sanford, whose work includes life-sized caricatures of the New York Knicks that were displayed in City Hall in June during the team’s championship-winning run.The backlash to the bagel mascot began when Harlem-based photographer Carl Broady blasted the cartoon as a “disrespectful caricature of black people” in an Instagram post last Monday. “The sign’s exaggerated features, bulging lips and teeth, and darkened skin tone […] recall the racist caricatures historically used to degrade Black people,” said Broady, who is black.Harlem residents were mixed in their opinions about the cutout – which was taken down when The Post visited the nabe on Sunday afternoon. Tomas E. Gaston for NY PostBut it exploded when TikToker “Anastazia X” visited the bagel joint — and declared the sign a “blackface bagel” while decrying it as “problematic.”“It’s not funny,” the TikToker — who has 4,000 followers — said in a Saturday video, adding that other art in the shop “was a little askew.”Anastasia X also proclaimed the shop was “white owned” while flashing a photo of Martinez, and insisted she’d been “left on read” when she sent him a message criticizing the mascot.“It was a kind email, it was a curious email, but it got no response,” she said — explaining she confronted the store manager during her visit instead.“I asked if anyone had complained about the bagels … and had the complaint been delivered to the owner,” she said.”The answer to those questions were ‘Yes,’ there have been complaints. ‘Yes,’ the owners are aware of the complaints. But ‘No,’ nothing has been done. Interesting.” “That’s not blackface,” Genisha Metcalf, 39, firmly told The Post. Sidney Blasco/NY PostPeople began making phone calls threatening Bo’s Bagels employees after the controversy, owner Andrew Martinez said. Tomas E. Gaston for NY PostDespite those hot and fresh takes, Harlem residents were mixed in their opinions about the cutout – with some brushing off the criticism.One longtime 43-year-old resident born and raised in the historical black nabe said he couldn’t ignore the bagel’s “stereotypical imagery.” “The gold chains, whatever else was on it, that’s just like a caricature they used to show back in the olden times…but this time it just happens to be on a bagel,” he said.Genisha Metcalf, 39, poked a hole in critics’ claims, saying it went “too far ” to call the sign “racist.”“That’s not blackface,” Metcalf firmly told The Post.While influencer Anastazia X said she hoped a civil “public conversation” would take place over the bagel, what instead followed was the ceaseless harassment of Bo’s Bagels’ staff, according to owner Martinez. People began making phone calls threatening the business’ employees, the lifelong New Yorker claimed, while other influencers came in to make harassing videos.“They’ve reached out to my black employees and said, ‘You need to leave there because your owners hate you,’ and that’s just not true,” Martinez said.The bagel mascot was designed by Harlem-based artist Tom Sanford, whose life-sized cutouts of the New York Knicks were displayed in City Hall during the team’s legendary run and resulting championship win in June. Tom SanfordMartinez – who said he offered to respond to Anastazia’s email but was ignored – has been floored by the controversy.“This is actually almost weird to us because Harlemites love us. They know what we do. We donate to schools. We give food away to the homeless shelters,” he said.Anastasia X also seemed surprised by people’s reactions — telling The Post she never intended for her video to blow up as it did.“I’m sorry that employees and the owner have been harassed as a result of the video,” she said. “That was not my intention and I don’t condone or support any behavior of that kind.”When reached for comment, artist Tom Sanford defended the art work, saying he wanted “nothing more than to celebrate that culture.”“Personally, I do not see uptown streetwear culture in a negative light at all,” Sanford said in an emailed statement. “To me, these items represent overwhelmingly positive cultural contributions that came from the streets of my neighborhood and crossed over into the mainstream.”Additional reporting by Katherine Donlevy
