NEW ORLEANS — As the city is reeling following mass shootings during a second-line celebration on Sunday that left two dead and 11 injured, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick addressed the media during a Monday morning press conference to update the public on the investigation.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was not in attendance. When asked by WWL Louisiana, city officials pointed to a press release sent Friday (Nov. 15). The release noted that Mayor Cantrell left for Brazil to participate in the Urban 20 (U20) Mayor’s Climate Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Cantrell is no stranger to participating in such climate summit events like the one in Montréal in May, and one in Dubai last year.
The city says Mayor Cantrell, who is one of 100 U.S. mayors comprising the C40 Climate Leadership Group, will contribute to panels and working groups focused on creating actionable urban plans that will help fight the effects of extreme weather and climate issues in urban centers.
The trip comes just days after the mayor's overseas visit to Barcelona for the Smart City Expo World Congress, which kept her out of the country on Election Day, and a month removed from a trip to the Bloomberg "CityLab" event in Mexico City.
Cantrell's frequent overseas travel – and expenses – have often been heavily scrutinized by the New Orleans city council, including the trip to Dubai in 2023 with embattled former bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie, as well as the reimbursement of nearly $30,000 to the city in 2022.
The city said Cantrell is scheduled to return to New Orleans following the summit’s conclusion on Monday.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.