Nury Martinez resigns as LA City Council president following backlash over racist comments

[ad_1]

Leaked audio: Community calls for removal of Councilmember Nury Martinez for racist remarks

Leaked audio reveals LA City Council president Nury Martinez making racist comments against a child.

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles City Council president Nury Martinez on Monday announced her resignation amid backlash over racist comments made about Councilman Mike Bonin’s Black son.

RELATED: Bonin calls on LA City Council to remove Martinez as president over racist comments on his son

Martinez issued the following statement:

“I take responsibility for what I said and there are no excuses for those comments. I’m so sorry.

I sincerely apologize to the people I hurt with my words: to my colleagues, their families, especially to Mike, Sean, and your son. As a mother, I know better and I am sorry. I am truly ashamed. I know this is the result of my own actions. I’m sorry to your entire family for putting you through this.

As someone who believes deeply in the empowerment of communities of color, I recognize my comments undercut that goal. Going forward, reconciliation will be my priority. I have already reached out to many of my Black colleagues and other Black leaders to express my regret in order for us to heal.

I ask for forgiveness from my colleagues and from the residents of this city that I love so much. In the end, it is not my apologies that matter most; it will be the actions I take from this day forward. I hope that you will give me the opportunity to make amends.

Therefore, effective immediately I am resigning as President of the Los Angeles City Council.”

Controversy erupts amid leaked audio

On Sunday, audio was leaked of Martinez using racist language about Bonin’s two then-year-old son during a conversation from October 2021.

The remarks were made during a talk with Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and LA County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, in a conversation that focused on the politically sensitive process of redrawing council district boundaries. Their talk also touched on the efforts to replace Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who’s been indicted on federal corruption charges.

It was not clear who recorded and leaked the conversation, which appeared on Reddit but was later removed from the site. CNS reviewed the conversation, which was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

[ad_2]