Angelenos are calling for Los Angeles City Council president Nury Martinez to resign from the political post after she and other councilpersons were secretly recorded uttering vile and racist statements against a number of ethnicities.
Martinez, who made history as the first Hispanic female to become president of the city council, nevertheless was heard calling the Black son of another councilman a “monkey.” She also referred to Koreans as “short little dark” people who are “ugly,” according to CBS Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Times.
The racist language was spoken by Martinez and two other councilpersons, Councilman Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrerawas. They were holding a private meeting regarding the redistricting in America’s second-largest city.
Once the words were leaked to the L.A. Times and exploded all over Southern California, Martinez tendered her resignation as the council president with the following statement.
NEWS: "I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council," @CD6Nury. https://t.co/3EGYquZDH0 pic.twitter.com/Sm11uj9jIw
— Benjamin Oreskes🦅 (@boreskes) October 10, 2022
De León also issued his mea culpa on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022.
“There were comments made in the context of this meeting that are wholly inappropriate; and I regret appearing to condone and even contribute to certain insensitive comments made about a colleague and his family in private. I’ve reached out to that colleague personally,” he said. “On that day, I fell short of the expectations we set for our leaders – and I will hold myself to a higher standard.”
Martinez and De León made their racist comments in reference to Mike Bonin, a councilman who is white and has a Black son. His son was allegedly misbehaving on a float at a Martin Luther King Jr. parade and Martinez and others had to step in and “parent this kid.”
“They’re raising him like a little white kid,” Martinez said in the secret recording. “I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back.”
Martinez also referred to the child as “ese changuito,” which is Spanish for “that little monkey.”
Residents and city leaders are still demanding that Martinez resign from the city council altogether, which she has refused to do as of Monday evening.
Bonin was the most vocal in his belief that everyone in attendance at this private meeting who made “abhorrent” statements should be forced to quit.
“We are appalled, angry and absolutely disgusted that Nury Martinez attacked our son with horrific racist slurs, and talked about her desire to physically harm him,” Bonin wrote in a statement on Twitter. “It’s vile, abhorrent, and utterly disgraceful.”
Our family statement about today's ugly and hateful news. pic.twitter.com/0fPPXwsS5B
— Mike Bonin (@mikebonin) October 9, 2022
The local police chief seconded Bonin’s sentiments.
Today’s revelation of the remarks by our members of our council leaders hurts me to my core. This is not the Los Angeles I know or reflective of the beliefs of the women & men of LAPD. Such remarks are unacceptable in any setting. A dark day for our City of Angels.
— Chief Michel Moore (@LAPDChiefMoore) October 10, 2022
Take a look below at the full report from CBS Los Angeles.
