Trey Brooks, father of girl killed in Christmas Parade calls out Raleigh mayor, city council

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The father of the girl killed in the 2022 Raleigh Christmas Parade excoriated the Raleigh City Council in delivered remarks on Tuesday night, saying "You have done absolutely nothing."

Trey Brooks' chastising of the mayor and council traced back to the city's announcement in September that city officials would not grant parade organizers a special events permit for 2023, effectively meaning the parade was canceled.

In making that stunning announcement, the city said it was denying the permit "out of an abundance of caution for parade participants and spectators, as well as respect for Hailey Brooks' family and friends."

But on the same day, the Brooks family said the city did not consult them at all. In fact, they said they opposed the decision to cancel the parade.

Less than 24 hours after the denial, the city did an about-face and said the parade could take place with the omission of all motorized floats and vehicles from the parade lineup.

On Tuesday night, Trey Brooks and his family, accompanied by their attorney spoke face-to-face with city leaders, the pain of loss still evident as he told them, "I stand before you ... A broken father."

"We were hurt and offended when you, Mayor (Mary-Ann) Baldwin, pointed to our family as a cause for the parade being canceled," Brooks said. "The city's official statement, as well as your statement, made the claim that the parade was being canceled to honor Hailey out of respect for the family.

"However, neither you nor anyone from the city has ever bothered to contact us following the tragic death of our daughter, to ask whether we would consider it an honor for the city to cancel this year's parade," Brooks added. "Had you contacted us, you would have heard from us that the best way to honor Hailey's memory would have been for the city to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into what went wrong."

Brooks said city leaders would have learned that "our greatest wish would be for the city and the organizations involved with this parade to enact common-sense protections that should've been in place last year. You would have learned, that folks from other communities have reached out to our family to ask how they could honor Hailey and what they could do to make their parade safer. But what did the City of Raleigh do? It appears that 11 months after Hailey's death, you have done absolutely nothing."

The mayor confirmed she never called the family.

"Well, first off, after the meeting, I told him how sorry I was," Baldwin said. "Quite frankly, I told him I had no words. I don't know. I mean, I can't even fathom what the family has gone through. I told him I appreciated him coming in, and having the courage to speak and talk to us today. And I'm very sincere about that. I really respect all of them for being here."

Baldwin said the city is already making changes,

"We've changed and modified some of our rules," she said. "So, for instance, a driver of a float or vehicle has to be at least 25 years of age. That's something that we changed after last year."

Baldwin said the city has had discussions with the Raleigh Merchants Association.

"What we have done, is we have gone back to the Raleigh Merchants Association and offered to allow them to host a parade that has this year no floats no cars," Baldwin said. "But they can have wheelchairs. They can have bicycles, horses and bikes. You know, we're trying to make the parade happen, but in a way where we can ensure safety."

Hailey, 11, was performing in the parade when she was struck and killed when the driver of a truck pulling a float lost control at the 2022 Raleigh Christmas Parade on Nov. 19.

Her parents filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in April.

The 2023 Raleigh Christmas Parade is scheduled to take place on November 18.