On Monday, the president of the Los Angeles City Council, Nury Martinez, resigned from her leadership post after she was caught on tape using racist language against Indigenous people in the city and for describing the Black son of a city councilmember as a “little monkey.” Martinez made the comments last year during a conversation discussing redistricting with Los Angeles City Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, as well as Ron Herrera, the head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, who also resigned last night.
It’s unclear who recorded the call or who leaked it to the media, but it comes just weeks before voters head to the polls in Los Angeles to pick a new mayor. The scandal has put a spotlight on tension between Latinx and Black political leaders in Los Angeles. In one part of the phone call, Nury Martinez can be heard talking about the adopted son of fellow Democratic Councilmember Mike Bonin. Bonin is white; his son is Black. She accused Bonin handling his son as if he were a, quote, “accessory” like a purse, and she
— source democracynow.org | Oct 11, 2022