by Los Angeles City Council Speaker Nury Martinez (D) resigned from her position as chair a day after audio leaked showing Martinez making racist comments about a young black child.
Martinez’s resignation came after the Los Angeles Times he said in a leaked October 2021 restructuring conversation with Councilman Kevin de Léon (D), Councilman Gil Cedillo (D) and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera.
In that conversation, Martinez made racist comments about the adopted black son of City Councilman Mike Bonin (D) and suggested the two-year-old needed a “beatdown.”
“They’re raising him like a little white kid,” Martinez said. “I thought this kid needed a beatdown. Let me take him to the corner and then I’ll bring him back.’
Martinez also described Bonin’s son as “Parece changuito,” Spanish for “that little monkey.”
“Su negrito, as in sideways,” Martinez said, reportedly a derogatory Spanish term for black people.
Martinez announced her resignation as city council president Monday after nearly a full day of voters and elected officials calling for her resignation. Protesters on Sunday marched outside Martinez’s home demanding her resignation.
RIGHT NOW: 🚨🚨🚨
We are outside the home of City Council President Nury Martinez right now. Community members are asking @CD6Nuryhis resignation.
There is no coming back from this. Nury is complete. #ResignNury pic.twitter.com/BjOa6dkJYG
— People’s City Council – Los Angeles (@PplsCityCouncil) October 10, 2022
Although Martinez will step down as council president, she will remain on the Los Angeles City Council.
“I take responsibility for what I said and there are no excuses for these comments. I am very sorry,” Martinez said in an email sent from her office. In addition, Martinez offered a sincere apology to Councilman Bonin and his family.
“As a mother I know better and I’m sorry. I’m really embarrassed. I know this is the result of my own actions. I’m sorry to your whole family that I put you through this,” he said. “As someone who believes deeply in the empowerment of communities of color, I recognize that my comments undermine that goal. From now on, reconciliation will be my priority.”
“I ask for forgiveness from my colleagues and from the residents of this city that I love so much. In the end, it’s not my apology that matters most. will be the actions I take from today onwards. I hope you’ll give me a chance to make amends,” Martinez concluded.
Despite her resignation as city council president, Martinez still faces calls to resign from the council entirely.
Both Los Angeles mayoral candidates Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), along with other city council members, called Martinez and the other council members present at that October 2021 conversation to resign from their duties.
“The comments reported by LA Times they were racist and deeply offensive. Now, we must unite and strongly repudiate what has been said. My heart goes out to Councilor Bonin and his family. Now, strong action must be taken,” Caruso said he said in a statement. “I call on City Council President Nuri Martinez to do the right thing and resign immediately.”
I call on City Council President Nury Martinez to do the right thing and resign immediately. I believe that Councilman Kevin DeLeon and Councilman Gil Cedillo should do the same. My full statement from this morning below. pic.twitter.com/ivwfY6bVwO
— Rick J. Caruso (@RickCarusoLA) October 10, 2022
“Los Angeles needs to move in a new direction, and that’s not possible unless the four people captured in this film immediately resign from their offices,” Bass said.
Los Angeles needs to move in a new direction, and that is not possible unless the four people captured in this film resign from their offices immediately. pic.twitter.com/hClHQNGoem
— Karen Bass (@KarenBassLA) October 10, 2022
Although the leaked conversation took place in October 2021, the Los Angeles Times reported on the audio on Sunday after an anonymous user uploaded audio of the conversation to Reddit earlier in the month.
Martinez’s disparaging comments didn’t stop at Bonin’s adopted son. Martinez mocked Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon for being “with the blacks.” Martinez also reportedly called the Mexican immigrants living in Koreatown “little dark people.”
It is unclear who will replace Martinez as president of the Los Angeles City Council.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at [email protected] or follow him Twitter.
