- Los Angeles City Council’s president resigned from her position as council president.
- Nury Martinez expressed regret.
- The colleague’s Black son was compared to an animal.
As a result of the release of an audio tape featuring racist remarks, the Los Angeles City Council’s president resigned from her position as council president on Monday.
In a statement accompanying the resignation announcement, Nury Martinez expressed regret.
“I accept responsibility for my words, and there are no justifications for them. My apologies, she said.
Last year, during a meeting, Martinez made remarks that appeared to suggest that the county’s progressive district attorney shouldn’t be supported because he might be well-liked by Black Angelenos. The colleague’s Black son, who was 2 years old at the time, was compared to an animal.
The Los Angeles Times broke the news of the 2021 audio from a political strategy meeting that a few Latino Democrats on the council attended on Sunday.
In the apology, Martinez said: “As someone who strongly supports the empowerment of communities of color, I acknowledge that my statements undermine that objective. Reconciliation will be my top priority moving forward. In order for us to mend, I have already made contact with many of my Black coworkers and other Black leaders to apologize.
“I beg for pardon from my coworkers and the people of this city that I so much love. The actions I take going ahead, not my excuses, will be what matters most in the end. I’m hoping you’ll give me the chance to put things right,” she continued.
She stated, “Therefore, with immediate effect, I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council.”
Martinez’s council seat was not mentioned in the statement. On Monday, a spokesman could not be reached for comment right away.
This month, the audio appeared on a Reddit discussion board but was taken down. The recording’s origin is unknown, and NBC News is unsure if it has been manipulated.
Politicians from all throughout the state voiced their opinions after hearing about the racist remarks.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said on Monday that “racist words may inflict real harm” in a statement regarding the statements.
The fact that individuals responsible have apologized and started to accept responsibility for their acts, according to Newsom, is encouraging. We must all set a better example by acting in accordance with the ideals that so many of us work to defend every day. These comments have no place in our state or in our politics.
In a statement, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., who was also a former head of the Los Angeles City Council, called the remarks “dehumanizing” and “racist.”
“These racist remarks have exacerbated the suffering that our communities have already experienced at a time when our country is struggling to deal with an increase in hate speech and hate crimes. Better is due to Los Angeles, according to Padilla.
In a statement, Caruso also demanded the resignation of Martinez, Kevin de León, Gil Cedillo, and other council members, calling the comments “racist and highly disrespectful.”
Caruso declared, “This is a tragic day for our strong, diversified city.” “I do believe that they are better individuals than the nasty remarks we heard on that tape, in their souls. They are aware that they are role models and have let our city down, nevertheless.
Ron Herrera, the head of the influential Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, joined Martinez, Cedillo, and de León for the discussion, which appeared to be about political strategy and redistricting. They’re all Democratic Latinos.
The remarks concerning the young boy, who is the son of former council member Mike Bonin, focused on his actions during a parade in 2017 when he was just 2 years old. Martinez referred to the youngster as an animal using a Spanish phrase.
Martinez also rejected Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón as unworthy of the support of the attendees. Gascón is a justice reform champion who is despised by lawmakers who promote law and order and has survived two Republican-led recall campaigns.
“F—- that person. She responded, “He’s with the Blacks.
On the recording, De León also referred to Bonin, a white man, as the “fourth Black member” of the 15-member council. De León asserted that Bonin has never made “a peep” regarding Latinos and does not support them.
De León answered Martinez’s question, “Why does Bonin think he’s Black?” with, “His kid is.”
De León, a politician from San Diego who became well-known statewide as a senator and later ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Los Angeles, stated that Bonin treated his son like a handbag or other type of purse.
Herrera didn’t seem to say anything racial. He did state that the group should promote a candidate who would represent Latino interests in order to fill the seat in a predominantly Black district.
Bonin has demanded the resignations of Martinez, De León, and Herrera, claiming that the incident exposes significant rifts in the city’s populace.
In a statement, he called Martinez’s remarks “dehumanizing” and added, “It is difficult to know he will someday read these statements.”
Only Cedillo, according to the family statement, could be charged with espousing or encouraging racist ideas, but it expressed dismay nonetheless, calling his apparent silence “tacit approval of those words.”
All four have issued professions of regret.
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