Several members of the Los Angeles City Council are facing mounting pressure to resign following the release of a leaked audio tape on Twitter in which several members, who are Hispanic, use racial slurs toward the Black son of another councilmember.
“I take full responsibility for what I said, and there are no excuses for those comments,” LA City Council member Nury Martinez, said in a statement offering her resignation as the President of the City Council. The remarks were thought to be part of a conversation in October 2021, however, the date could not be verified by the LA Times.
The Councilmembers involved in the discussion in the audio were talking about a proposed redistricting of congressional mapping in the Los Angeles area, and the effects on the Latino population.
They discussed several of their colleagues, including Mike Bonin, who is White, and his Black son. Martinez spewed several derogatory statements toward Bonin’s child, saying, “he’s like a monkey,” and that “Bonin think’s he’s f*** black.”
Martinez continued saying she wished to physically straighten out Bonin’s son, saying, “I was like this kid, needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner, and then I’ll bring him back.”
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Bonin and his husband Sean Arian asked the Council to remove Martinez as the acting President and demanded that she be removed from office.
“We are appalled, angry, and absolutely disgusted that Nury Martinez attacked our son with horrific racist slurs, and talked about her desire to physically harm him. It’s vile, abhorrent and utterly disgraceful,” the two said in a joint statement.
“Racist, homophobic, and deeply cruel statements like these are disqualifying for elected office in LA,” Councilmember Nithya Raman said. Raman was also referenced in the audio clips.
“The people who made them should resign. If they don’t, I’ll vote to remove them from council leadership at the first opportunity.”
