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Mom in viral video that led to officer's suspension meets with mayor

Jacqueline Craig and Mayor Betsy Price met one-on-one Wednesday at the Fort Worth City Hall, but the meeting didn't seem to heal a tense relationship.

FORT WORTH -- Jacqueline Craig and Mayor Betsy Price met one-on-one Wednesday at the Fort Worth City Hall, but the meeting didn't seem to heal a tense relationship.

"She let me know that she has no authority to do what I need done," Craig said to reporters after the meeting.

Craig at first said it went well, but later expressed disappointment that the meeting didn't result in concrete action.

"I need someone that's capable," she said. "I need to speak to capable people."

The mayor's office wouldn't confirm any details or comment on the meeting, so only the account from Craig and her attorney, Lee Merritt, was available for how it went.

"We do appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to the mayor's office," Merritt said.

Merritt said Mayor Price and Craig spoke one-on-one, mother-to-mother in the mayoral office. He claimed that Price told Craig that the penalty Officer William Martin faces isn't severe enough, though Price respects the chief's decision.

Mayor Price's office said that the meeting was never about publicity, but was a chance for the mayor to listen directly to Craig and hear her concerns.

The viral video of her conflict with Officer Martin has sparked outrage and debate. Craig and her daughter were arrested, but two weeks ago, charges against them were dropped. Officer Martin was suspended by his department for 10 days, but Craig wants him fired.

"The justice that remains for Ms. Craig is to see Officer Martin off the Fort Worth Police Department force," Merritt said. "Until that happens, we don't see any healing or getting past this because the wound remains open."

Craig also wants her neighbor Itamar Vardi to face felony assault charges for the incident that led her to call police in the first place. She says Vardi choked her son, and Wednesday, she showed the mayor medical records that she says prove he was injured as a result.

Vardi was cited with assault by contact, a misdemeanor charge. Craig and her attorney said they'll now be pressuring the Tarrant County District Attorney.

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