NEW ORLEANS — Roxanne Davila wiped away tears as she listened to New Orleans City Council members speak.
"I do not understand why the mayor has not apologized yet," Councilmember-At-Large J.P. Morrell said. "Because, let's be clear, the mayor has not apologized to the victims in this case for what you went through."
Davila, Madison Bergeron and Stephanie Uddo spoke before the city council Thursday morning. All three are victims of carjackings. They described how the experiences left lasting scars.
Davila said she didn't leave the house for two weeks after the attack. Bergeron said her existing anxiety disorder became unmanageable.
A 14-year-old boy was charged in all three carjackings. At his sentencing hearing, the victims were shocked to see Mayor Latoya Cantrell serving as a character witness for the boy.
"When the mayor showed up with the attacker's mother, I was robbed once again," Uddo read in her statement.
At a press conference last week, Mayor Cantrell defended her decision to publicly support the 14-year-old. She explained that he is a graduate of the city's Pathways program, which aims to help "mitigate youth poverty, unemployment, and recidivism."
Cantrell claimed she approached the victims at the hearing, saying she "was able to touch them" and show them "a level of love." She described rubbing one of the victim's shoulders and saying "God bless you."
Last month, Bergeron and Uddo told WWL-TV they felt the mayor's response was grossly inadequate. They said they were jarred by her presence in the courtroom and felt she was taking the side of their attacker. Bergeron told the council that Cantrell showed her "where she wants to give support, and it is not to the entire community."
Davila is the victim of the third carjacking. She did not come forward until Thursday's council meeting. In her statement, she echoed the other two victims, saying the mayor's response to the controversy left her more upset than her appearance in the hearing.
"It's about showing equal compassion and support and empathy for the victims of a violent crime in the way that they need to be supported," Davila said. "Not in the way that you think you are supporting them."
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