A recent spate of carjackings in New Orleans prompted a mother to create a car magnet she hopes will keep her family safe. It reads: “DON’T CARJACK ME, KIDS INSIDE,” KTLA sister station WGMB reports.
Gaby Carmona Barnetzer has a set of 4-year-old triplets and a 6-year-old.
“With four kids in car seats, it would be extremely difficult to take everyone out safely and quickly” in the event of a carjacking, Barnetzer said.
She’s not convinced the magnet will work, but said it’s “more of a statement of frustration and worry about the state of our situation.” Barnetzer wanted to start a conversation about what can be done to curb carjackings.
“I don’t feel that simply locking these kids up will solve everything. It’s a much deeper issue in my opinion, an issue that stems with poverty, education, opportunity. I think we need to invest in our underserved communities if we really want to get to the root of why this is happening. That’s just my opinion. So I’m happy people are talking about it at least,” she said.
New Orleans saw 17 carjackings, two attempted carjackings and six armed robberies that involved cars being taken in just the first 12 days of 2022.
Barnetzer is selling the magnets for $10 each. She asks people to contact her on Facebook Messenger to buy one.
Barnetzer said she is in talks with some local charities and would like to give the proceeds to an organization that helps underserved youth.
