Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez resigned from her position Monday afternoon after an audio recording of her making racist remarks about another council member and his young son leaked online, drawing protests and widespread condemnation.
Nury Martinez during a council meeting Wednesday, January 20, 2016.
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Key Facts
Martinez apologized to the people she hurt in a statement, according to local station KTLA, adding that “there are no excuses for those comments” she made in an audio recording that leaked online Saturday.
The audio contains a conversation between Martinez and other Los Angeles officials about redistricting that takes a turn when they use racist language to deride other officials, including Councilman Mike Bonin, a white man, and his 8-year-old Black son.
In the audio, which was first posted anonymously to a Reddit forum before being shared by the Los Angeles Times, Martinez is purportedly heard saying Bonin treats his son like an “accessory” and described the young boy using the phrase “parece changuito,” Spanish for “like a monkey,” and the term “su negrito,” which can be used as a disparaging term.
Since the audio was released, Martinez has faced calls to step down from across Los Angeles, including from protestors demonstrating outside her home and from Bonin, who along with his spouse, Sean Arian, said he was “appalled, angry and absolutely disgusted” by Martinez’ comments in a statement Saturday.
After the Los Angeles Times published an article about the tape Sunday, Martinez apologized for her comments in a statement, saying she had been concerned over the redistricting and “the potential negative impact it might have on communities of color” and that she had let her “frustration and anger” get the best of her.
While the conversation took place a year ago, according to the Los Angeles Times, it only leaked Saturday, just weeks before Los Angeles elections on November 8.
Key Background
The leaked tape is from an October 2021 conversation between Martinez, fellow Latino Council members Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and is about redistricting, according to the Los Angeles Times. Redistricting, which happens once every ten years, can rework political boundaries and give some neighborhoods and voters more political power. Last year, redistricting proposals in Los Angeles were subject to debate about racial equity and representation. While Latino residents make up roughly half of the city’s population, they make up less than one third of representatives for the council’s districts, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Crucial Quote
In the audio, Martinez could purportedly be heard complaining that Bonin was a “little bitch,” and that he and his spouse were raising their child “like a little white kid,” adding that “this kid needs a beatdown.” She also disparaged Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón in the recording, saying “F*ck that guy . . . He’s with the Blacks.”
What We Don’t Know
It’s still unclear who taped and posted the audio, which appears to have been recorded without the knowledge of any of the people who can be heard on the file. California is a “two-party consent” state, which means all people who are part of a confidential conversation must give their permission to be recorded. Violations of the law can result in criminal misdemeanor charges.
Los Angeles City Council President Resigns Over Leaked Audio Of Racist Comments
Topline
Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez resigned from her position Monday afternoon after an audio recording of her making racist remarks about another council member and his young son leaked online, drawing protests and widespread condemnation.
Nury Martinez during a council meeting Wednesday, January 20, 2016.
Key Facts
Martinez apologized to the people she hurt in a statement, according to local station KTLA, adding that “there are no excuses for those comments” she made in an audio recording that leaked online Saturday.
The audio contains a conversation between Martinez and other Los Angeles officials about redistricting that takes a turn when they use racist language to deride other officials, including Councilman Mike Bonin, a white man, and his 8-year-old Black son.
In the audio, which was first posted anonymously to a Reddit forum before being shared by the Los Angeles Times, Martinez is purportedly heard saying Bonin treats his son like an “accessory” and described the young boy using the phrase “parece changuito,” Spanish for “like a monkey,” and the term “su negrito,” which can be used as a disparaging term.
Since the audio was released, Martinez has faced calls to step down from across Los Angeles, including from protestors demonstrating outside her home and from Bonin, who along with his spouse, Sean Arian, said he was “appalled, angry and absolutely disgusted” by Martinez’ comments in a statement Saturday.
After the Los Angeles Times published an article about the tape Sunday, Martinez apologized for her comments in a statement, saying she had been concerned over the redistricting and “the potential negative impact it might have on communities of color” and that she had let her “frustration and anger” get the best of her.
While the conversation took place a year ago, according to the Los Angeles Times, it only leaked Saturday, just weeks before Los Angeles elections on November 8.
Key Background
The leaked tape is from an October 2021 conversation between Martinez, fellow Latino Council members Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and is about redistricting, according to the Los Angeles Times. Redistricting, which happens once every ten years, can rework political boundaries and give some neighborhoods and voters more political power. Last year, redistricting proposals in Los Angeles were subject to debate about racial equity and representation. While Latino residents make up roughly half of the city’s population, they make up less than one third of representatives for the council’s districts, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Crucial Quote
In the audio, Martinez could purportedly be heard complaining that Bonin was a “little bitch,” and that he and his spouse were raising their child “like a little white kid,” adding that “this kid needs a beatdown.” She also disparaged Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón in the recording, saying “F*ck that guy . . . He’s with the Blacks.”
What We Don’t Know
It’s still unclear who taped and posted the audio, which appears to have been recorded without the knowledge of any of the people who can be heard on the file. California is a “two-party consent” state, which means all people who are part of a confidential conversation must give their permission to be recorded. Violations of the law can result in criminal misdemeanor charges.
Further Reading
‘I take responsibility for what I said’: Nury Martinez resigns as L.A. City Council president amid fallout over racist remarks (KTLA)
Racist remarks in leaked audio of L.A. council members spark outrage, disgust (Los Angeles Times)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/10/10/los-angeles-city-council-president-resigns-over-leaked-audio-of-racist-comments/