He has an extra H in his first name and only raised $50 so far. But Ahmadou Diallo is running for a City Council seat in the Bronx, the borough where another man — Amadou — was shot and killed by police officers back in 1999.Police misstook Amadou Diallo’s wallet for a gun — he was unarmed — and ultimately acquitted of the shooting.
The trial brought a harsh spotlight on the aggressive police tactics of then-mayor Rudy Giuiani, whose relentless drive to push crime statistics down led to a worsening relationship between the police department and residents in high-crime, often majority-minority neighborhoods who came to see the police as aggressors, rather than protectors.
Candidate Diallo is raising money to run in the 16th Councilmanic district, represented by Helen Foster. The spot where the other Diallo was slain — 1157 Wheeler Avenue — is over in the 18th Councilmanic district, represented by Annabel Palma. (The candidate’s campaign office isn’t too far away from that infamous spot.)
When told of the candidate’s name, one Bronx Democratic opeartive blurted out “you got to be fucking kidding me.”
Calls to the cell phone number associated with candidate Diallo’s campaign were not immediately returned, and the voicemail there was not set up.
