A viral video could upend a city council race in Flint’s 1st Ward, where the appointed incumbent faces criminal allegations from his opponent that undermine his public image as a reformed felon.
Former Flint Community Schools Board of Education member Carol McIntosh faces off against incumbent councilman Leon El-Alamin on Nov. 5 for a partial term representing the city’s 1st Ward that runs through 2025.
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley appointed El-Alamin in February following the death of councilman Eric Mays, and El-Alamin has touted endorsements from high-level Democrats including Rep. Elissa Slotkin in his bid to retain the seat.
El-Alamin founded a nonprofit MADE Institute in 2015 to help felons gain employment, housing and other services after serving part of a 12-20 year sentence for drug and weapons charges. While several features highlight his journey “from drug dealer to community leader,” a video posted to Facebook on Wednesday by McIntosh and amplified by former Flint Mayor Karen Weaver aim to unravel that narrative.
“In September 2022 Leon El Alamin entered a home with a ‘DRACO ASSAULT GUN’…….. in this home was a 12 year-old child who was terrified as the child called 911 and was on the phone with the 911 operator,” the post to the Facebook page Elect Carol McIntosh 1st Ward Council read in part. “Leon entered this home with no eviction papers and without the assistance of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, which assist in legal evictions, he once again made a conscious choice to take the law into his own hands, armed with a dangerous gun.”
The post further alleged “The tenant in this home was so terrified. She moved her and her children the very next day to another state.
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“In order to improve our community, we have to start speaking out and having the courage to expose those individuals who are causing the very harm that has kept Flint from moving forward. How can we expect Leon El Alamin to fix the very problem that he is a part of…….?” the post read.
The Midwesterner has not verified the authenticity of the video or the claims made by McIntosh.
The one minute, 37-second door camera video shows a worker in a yellow hoodie with the name “Derek” embroidered on it using a drill in the doorway of a residence before a man who resembles El-Alamin approaches from behind carrying what appears to be an automatic or semi-automatic firearm with an extended clip in his right hand.
The second man, dressed in a black sweatshirt and gray sweatpants, lingers in the doorway for about a minute with the weapon in hand as he appears to be talking with someone, though the video does not contain audio.
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The video, which has been shared 3,300 times, ends with the two men standing on a porch at the front door.
“On November 5, 2024, let’s stop the violence and make the first step in protecting our community and the most vulnerable, which is our children,” the post read. “Please VOTE TO Elect Carol McIntosh 1st Ward Flint City Council.”
Before El-Alamin’s appointment to the city council, Neeley appointed him to an American Rescue Plan Act Community Advisory Committee that controlled $94 million in federal COVID funding.
“Since I came home in 2010, I have transformed my life,” El-Alamin said during an interview ahead of his council appointment, according to Flint Beat.
“I’m feeling super excited. I’m ready to continue the work we’ve already been doing in the ward, me and my team, expanding that, unifying the community as much as I can.”
El-Alamin told The Midwesterner the video posted online is part of a broader smear campaign that involves other false allegations, but did not directly answer questions about the incident.
“It’s a fake video, a bunch of nonsense,” he said, adding that the issue involved a lawfully evicted tenant. “I’m getting sick and tired of these false allegations and statements.”