Protesters Surround LA City Council Prez’s Home, Demand Her Resignation Over Leaked Racist Comments

Ken MeyerOct 10th, 2022, 11:45 am
 

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez is facing calls for her resignation after the release of shocking audio in which she made racist comments about a fellow council member.

The Los Angeles Times obtained a recording of Martinez on a call with council members Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera. The call was held a year ago to discuss the city’s redistricting, but the leaked clip recently emerged on Reddit. It was removed, but then subsequently picked up by the Times on Sunday.

In the recording, Martinez can be heard belittling councilman Mike Bonin, who is White, for his parenting and conduct with regard to his adopted son, who is Black. Martinez called Bonin a “little bitch,” said “Bonin thinks he’s f*cking black,” and accused him of treating his son like an accessory.

From the L.A. Times:

Martinez said that Bonin appeared with his son on a float in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade that featured a number of politicians. She also said the child was “an accessory.”

De León seemed to compare Bonin’s handling of the child to “when Nury brings her Goyard bag or the Louis Vuitton bag.”

“Su negrito, like on the side,” Martinez said, using a Spanish diminutive term for a Black person that can be considered demeaning.

Martinez spoke at length about the race of Bonin and his son, while apparently complaining about the boy’s behavior on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade float. She said the float might have tipped over if she and others didn’t intervene to “parent this kid.” She was also heard describing Bonin’s son as “parece changuito,” Spanish for “like a monkey.”

“The kid’s bouncing off the effing walls on the float, practically tipping it over, there’s nothing you can do to control him,” Martinez said. “They’re raising him like a little White kid. I was like, ‘This kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back.'”

Martinez also made racist comments while complaining about Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón. “F*ck that guy … He’s with the Blacks,” she said.

Martinez apologized for her comments in a statement statement to the Times: “In a moment of intense frustration and anger, I let the situation get the best of me and I hold myself accountable for these comments. For that I am sorry. The context of this conversation was concern over the redistricting process and concern about the potential negative impact it might have on communities of color. My work speaks for itself. I’ve worked hard to lead this city through its most difficult time.”

De León, Cedillo and Herrera also offered their regrets for partaking in the conversation.

Bonin released a statement on Sunday blasting Martinez’s use of “horrific racial slurs” — and demanding her resignation.

Council members Nithya Raman and Paul Koretz joined Bonin in calling for Martinez’s resignation, and her words were also condemned by Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D-CA).

Martinez faced protests from voters as well, who gathered outside of her home over the weekend to demand her resignation.

Watch above, via CBS Los Angeles.

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