There is strife in the city of angels this week after a leaked recording featured several members of the Los Angeles City Council making racist remarks. Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez referred to the Indigenous residents of Oaxaca as “ugly” and “short, little, dark people.” Also, Martinez referred to the song of fellow council member Mike Bonin as a little monkey. Alongside Martinez, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera suggested that Bonin present his son as a lawn jockey. Not to be forgotten, city council members Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León were also a part of the conversation.
“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,” Bonin said, per ABC 7 in Los Angeles.
“It’s vile, abhorrent, and utterly disgraceful.”
As the leaked recordings spread through newscasts and social media, calls for Martinez, Herrera and several other local leaders to resign have grown louder.
“This kind of overt racism has no place in political discourse,” Rick L. Callender of the NAACP said, per Axios.
“We clearly know where your heart and mind are, and both of them are corroded with the rust of racism and hate.”
In the aftermath of the debacle, Martinez and several other members have attempted to apologize for their remarks.
“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,” Martinez told NBC News.
“For that I am sorry.”
Despite Martinez’s apology, residents of Los Angeles remain unsatisfied. Protesters gathered outside of her home on Sunday and pledge to remain there until she resigns.
