On the Newell Normand Show Tuesday, Newell heard a unique and emotional account of Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s response to the infamous Hard Rock construction site collapse. It revealed another dimension of Cantrell’s leadership, or lack thereof.
One of the organizers of the petition to recall Cantrell appeared on the show to introduce Angela Magrette. She is the twin sister of Anthony Magrette. Anthony was one of three workers who died in 2019 when a portion of the Hard Rock Hotel that was under construction at the intersection of Canal and N. Rampart streets collapsed.
“In 2019, October he decided to go to work on his day off and a building fell on him that should’ve never fell. And my brother was trapped in that building for 32 hours, and 27 out of the 32 hours he was still alive. The mayor herself came to us, my family, saying she spotted him, she knew where he was at. Infrared, that there was a heartbeat, we’re going to get him out. I trusted her because she was the mother of the city. You’re supposed to love your children. Family is everything to me. I believed her,” Magrette told Newell.
Rescue teams could not save Anthony and the two other workers. Anthony Magrette was 49 years old. Angela Magrette directed anger, frustration and disappointment toward two people: former New Orleans Fire Chief Tim McConnell and Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
At the time, first responders said what was left of the construction site was too unstable for rescue teams to reach the victims. Angela told Newell she believes they had enough time to send rescuers in to save her brother. Angela says she has tried to get explanations from the administration but has gotten no response.
The last time she saw or had contact with Mayor Cantrell was at her brother’s wake. Angela said the Cantrell’s team wanted to capture video of the service. Angela refused. Now, she refuses to support Cantrell as mayor.
“They left him in there to die and I will never forgive her for that. She doesn’t deserve to be the mayor,” said Magrette.
Newell noted that the image that was being projected to the public at the time was that Cantrell and the victims’ families were “joined at the hip” and there was solid communication between them. Angela said that was true, but only for one family. Listen to her full conversation with Newell and what she’s learned about Cantrell through her family’s ordeal: