NEW ORLEANS — A short video circulating on social media showed New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell apparently making an obscene gesture to someone at the Krewe of Tucks parade on Saturday.
The 13-second video shows Cantrell saying "I love you" and waving toward a passing float when her wave changes to a gesture with her middle finger. According to the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate, the video was first published on the Facebook Page "NOLA A.F." The post did not provide any context to the post, other than saying that it was recorded during the Krewe of Tucks parade.
When asked directly for a response to the video, Gregory Joseph, the mayor's office's communications director, issued the following statement:
"Mardi Gras is a time for satire and jest, all in good fun. The City has been enjoying a safe and healthy Carnival and is looking forward [to] continuing the celebration on Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras," Joseph said.
Cantrell has been under a lot of scrutiny and controversy in her second term as mayor. Recently an organization seeking to recall her from the position says it is nearing the required signature goal it needs to force a vote on her future.
Several of the 2023 season's parade krewes have taken a satirical or directly critical view of the mayor's recent controversies, including her first-class travel, use of a city-owned apartment, problems with streets and the dwindling police force.
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