Local activists, leaders express outrage over racist remarks leaked from former LA City Council president Nury Martinez
In the more than 24 hours since audio leaked of several Los Angeles City Council member, including President Nury Martinez, has leaked hundreds have gathered in protest, calling for immediate change. Martinez resigned from her post early Monday morning, but kept her seat on the city council.
Martinez along with Councilmembers Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León, and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera were present on the call where they also discussed Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas who had been indicted on charges of federal corruption.
"Get them out!," protestors chanted on Monday, planning for another meeting out front of City Hall Tuesday morning.
Dozens also met at Southside Bethel Baptist, where they called for the additional resignation of the other city council members caught during an extremely racially insensitive conversation on recording.
"LA has way too many problems ... and they're sitting in a backroom telling monkey jokes," said Pastor John Cager, the President of SoCal Christian Conference.
"We as a people need to stand up and say working with African Americans, Latinos and Asian Pacific Islanders, that we are going to move beyond this," said Reverend William Smart, with the SoCal Christian Conference.
They're desperately hoping that the incident does not cause a division between community members, stating that they have fought too hard for things to start moving backwards.
"LA has way too many problems ... and they're sitting in a backroom telling monkey jokes," said Pastor John Cager, the President of SoCal Christian Conference.
"The chickens have come home to roost," said Pastor Thembikla Smart. "We see who's for us, and we see who's against us."
Julia Montoya, a constituent in attendance at the church had tears in her eyes as she joined the crowd in calling for change.
"It hurts because these are all my brothers and sisters, we're all brothers and sisters. Nobody is better than anyone else," she said, noting that her parents immigrated to America from Guatemala, and her daughters are the first in their family to attend a university. "Their apologies are trash to me. They're trash!"
The comments Martinez referenced are those stemming from a conversation that occurred in or around October of 2021, related to the redistricting process--a discussion which spanned about an hour, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The conversation was leaked, appearing on Reddit before it was later removed from the site. It was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
It was not clear who was responsible for the recording or the leak.
Among other comments, Martinez belittled Councilmember Mike Bonin, who is white and has a Black son, and criticized the child for his behavior at a Martin Luther King Day parade, saying Bonin's son was misbehaving on a float, which might have tipped over if she and the other women on the float didn't step in to "parent this kid."
"They're raising him like a little white kid," Martinez said. "I was like, `This kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I'll bring him back."'
Martinez also called the child "ese changuito," Spanish for "that little monkey."
De León also criticized Bonin. "Mike Bonin won't f---ing ever say peep about Latinos. He'll never say a f---ing word about us," he said.
De León also compared Bonin's handling of his son at the MLK Parade to "when Nury brings her little yard bag or the Louis Vuitton bag."
"Su negrito, like on the side," Martinez added, using a Spanish term for a Black person that's considered demeaning by many.
On Sunday, following the publication of the Times' article, Martinez issued the following statement to CBS Los Angeles:
"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," Martinez shared. "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 similarly issued a public apology:
"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."
Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday condemned the racially charged comments
"Words matter, and racist language can do real harm," Newsom said in a statement. "I'm encouraged that those involved in this have apologized and begun to take responsibility for their actions.
Over the weekend a group of about 50 people in Sun Valley held signs, calling for Martinez to resign.
"We can't keep allowing these people to do whatever they want," said protester Jacky Rodarte.