Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez (D) announced Monday that she would resign as the council’s president in the midst of a controversy that followed the release of leaked audio in which she made openly racist remarks about a colleague’s son as part of a discussion of the city’s redistricting process.
L.A. City Council president steps down in wake of racist comments
“I take responsibility for what I said and there are no excuses for those comments,” Martinez said in a statement. “As a mother I know better and I am sorry. I am truly ashamed.”
It appears that Martinez will remain on the 15-member legislative body. She made no mention of leaving her seat representing the city’s 6th District.
According to an account by the Los Angeles Times, Martinez, during a recorded conversation last fall with three other council members and a labor leader, said that Councilman Mike Bonin (D), who is White, handled his young Black son as though he were an accessory and described his son as “parece changuito,” which translates into “like a monkey.”
The Times also reported that Martinez appeared to discuss Bonin’s child’s behavior during a 2017 parade. She allegedly said on the call: “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.”
During the call, Martinez could also be heard disparaging other politicians, according to the Times.
In a statement Sunday, Martinez issued an apology for the comments, which she apparently did not know had been recorded, but stopped short of announcing that she would step down as council president.
“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,” she said.
Bonin had called for Martinez’s removal as president and her resignation from office.
Martinez served as the council’s president since late 2019. She was the first Latina to hold the position.
Source: WP
