L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez Steps Down After Racist Slurs Against Black Child 

Los Angeles, CA - August 30: Council President Nury Martinez motion to appoint Heather Hut
Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez (D) stepped down from her position as president one day after leaked audio showed Martinez making racist comments about a young black child.

Martinez’s resignation came after the Los Angeles Times reported on a leaked October 2021 conversation she had about redistricting with Councilman Kevin de Léon (D), Councilman Gil Cedillo (D), and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor president Ron Herrera.

In that conversation, Martinez made racist comments about Councilman Mike Bonin’s (D) adopted black son and suggested the two-year-old child needed a “beatdown.”

“They’re raising him like a little white kid,” Martinez said. “I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner, and then I’ll bring him back.”

Martinez also described Bonin’s son as a “Parece changuito,” Spanish for “that little monkey.”

“Su negrito, like on the side,” Martinez said, reportedly a derogatory Spanish term for black people.

Martinez announced her resignation as city council president on Monday after nearly a full day of constituents and elected officials called for her resignation. Protesters on Sunday marched outside of Martinez’s house demanding her resignation.

Although Martinez will step down as council president, she will remain on the Los Angeles City Council.

“I take responsibility for what I said and there are no excuses for those comments. I’m so sorry,” Martinez said in an email sent from her office. In addition, Martinez offered her sincere apologies to Councilman Bonin and his family.

“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,” she said. “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 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,” Martinez concluded.

Despite her resignation as city council president, Martinez is still facing calls to resign from the council entirely.

Both Los Angeles mayoral candidates, Rick Caruso and Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), along with other city council members, have called on Martinez and the other council members who were present for that October 2021 conversation to resign from office.

“The comments reported by the LA Times were racist and deeply offensive. Now, we must unite and strongly repudiate what was said. My heart goes out to Councilman Bonin and his family. Now, strong action must be taken,” Caruso said in a statement. “I am calling on City Council President Nury Martinez to do the right thing and immediately resign her office.”

“Los Angeles must move in a new direction, and that is not possible unless the four individuals caught on that tape resign from their offices immediately,” Bass said.

Although the leaked conversation took place in October 2021, the Los Angeles Times reported on the audio on Sunday after an anonymous user uploaded the conversation’s audio to Reddit earlier in the month.

Martinez’s disparaging remarks did not stop with Bonin’s adopted son. Martinez mocked Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon for being “with the blacks.” Martinez also reportedly called Mexican migrants living in Koreatown “short little dark people.”

It is unclear who will replace Martinez as Los Angeles City Council president.

Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jdixonhamilton@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter. 

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