BY Led Black (@Led_Black)
(Photo: R2 Studios)
Uptown lost one of its most colorful characters recently. While his real name was known by only a handful of people, his self-chosen moniker was El General Palominio Paloma. I think most folks knew him as simply Paloma.
Paloma was an Uptown legend. For the last few decades he has been a fixture in Washington Heights, walking up and down the entirety of the neighborhood impeccably dressed. I mean sharp. You never saw Paloma without his suit and tie and his signature swagger. His clothes practically sparkled and were perfectly and perpetually pressed. It didn’t matter if it was a heat wave in the middle of August, Paloma always looked brand-new.
According to Paloma, he was born to a dirt-poor family in a small campo in the Dominican Republic and was raised drinking goat’s milk straight from the teat. He also believed that he had a mystical experience as a child where an otherworldly voice ordained the connection between him and birds.
El General Palominio Paloma was really about that Paloma life. Paloma is the Spanish word for dove and is an eternal symbol of peace. Well, Paloma believed that he had a spiritual connection with birds therefore his clothes forever bore the dove motif. He even signed his name by drawing a dove.
Did I mention that Paloma even had a YouTube channel? In the video below he calls a group of pigeons into his apartment to eat off of his table, while perico ripiao blares in the background. While I’ll admit that is pretty strange and gross, Paloma was a one of one; he danced to his own tune. He literally did because a small radio was his constant companion.
In one of the videos uploaded in June of 2014, he revealed that he has been diagnosed with cancer but refused Chemo because a “bird can’t fly without its wings”. He even stated that he felt that he would die soon.
Paloma was a proud Dominican, who stayed with the Dominican flag somewhere on his person. He also never seemed to miss the annual Dominican Day parade, serving as the unofficial representative of Washington Heights. With El Alto changing so rapidly, I can’t help but feel that his passing is sadly symbolic of the ending of Washington Heights as we know it.
Fly Paloma fly… You are free now!
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