Amï Diallo, the La Cieneguita public housing resident whose beleaguered garden was featured in
r, appeared in Santa Fe Magistrate Court April 23 to make her claim against her neighbor, Patricia Street, whom Diallo had accused of assaulting her with a mop. Street, a tiny woman with a frothy crown of white hair, enlisted attorney Michael Pottow.
Diallo, who wore a flowing black blouse and blue scrunchie, represented herself.
The trial began with Diallo’s evidence, little of which was admitted.
“Hearsay?” Diallo said incredulously. Judge David Segura explained the term.
“So a police report is not an accurate document?” Diallo persisted.
“I can’t get into that,” Segura said. “You need more than just the paper.”
Pottow then grilled Diallo on a photo and note she’d sent to Street. The photo was of Street; the note quoted Stevie Wonder’s song “Isn’t She Lovely.”
“You sent Exhibit 1 to Ms. Street to make her feel bad,” Pottow said.
“No, I sent it as a joke,” Diallo replied.
During Street’s testimony, Diallo attempted to object, Pottow laughed at her and the objection was overruled. By the end, both women looked exhausted.
Diallo’s case against Street was dismissed in less than an hour.
