LA City Council Speaker Who Committed 'Racism' Against Fellow Council Member's Son Called "Little Monkey, Accessories" Finally Resigns

Recording Containing Racist Remarks Leaked on Online Forum
Racist Comments and Insults Toward Hispanic Colleagues Recorded During Badmouthing
"Apology Is Not Enough, I Will Resign" Announced... Retains Lawmaker Position

Nury Martinez, Chair of the Los Angeles City Council, along with other Hispanic council members, is facing growing controversy after recordings were released revealing racist remarks and harsh profanity. The photo shows a racial discrimination protest that took place in New York last year. The photo is unrelated to this incident. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] The controversy is spreading after a recording was released in which Nury Martinez, the chairwoman of the Los Angeles City Council, along with other Hispanic council members, made racist remarks and used harsh profanity.

On the 9th (local time), the LA Times published an article titled "LA Council Members Make Racist Remarks About Colleagues," revealing that Martinez (District 6), Councilmembers De Le?n (District 14), and Gil Cedillo (District 1) made racist comments likening Councilmember Mike Bonin’s (District 11) adopted Black son to an "accessory" and a "little monkey."

Based on the transcript of the recording, the article stated that during a meeting last October with Ron Herrera, chairman of the LA County Federation of Labor, they vented about Councilmember Bonin behind his back. In particular, Martinez referred to Bonin as a "little bitch" and also disparaged Bonin’s young Black son.

Councilmember De Le?n reportedly compared Martinez’s treatment of Bonin’s son to carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag, implying the son was treated like an accessory. De Le?n also referred to Bonin as the "fourth Black (council) member."

Furthermore, they made racially derogatory remarks about areas in LA with large Mexican and Korean populations, saying there were "many dark-skinned and short people."

Specifically, they made disparaging comments about appearances, saying, "We don’t know where they came from, which village, or how they got here, but they all look ugly."

◆ Racism Revealed Amid Dissatisfaction Over New District Redistricting Plan

According to the report, the three councilmembers made racist remarks during a process of expressing dissatisfaction with a new redistricting plan submitted by the LA City Redistricting Commission. They were reportedly displeased that although nearly 50% of LA’s population is Latino, Latino councilmembers made up less than one-third of the 15-member council.

The disparagement of Bonin’s son came during a conversation about a Black councilmember representing South LA. They also argued that major commercial areas such as USC and Exposition Park should be redistricted from the Black councilmember’s jurisdiction to a Latino councilmember’s district.

The one-hour recording of the Latino councilmembers’ conversation was leaked by someone on the online community Reddit. The nearly hour-long transcript was shared by a now-suspended user on Reddit. It remains unknown who recorded the conversation or who else was present. The related post is currently private.

◆ Nury Martinez, LA City Council Chair: "No Excuse... Resigning Immediately"

After the recording was made public, Councilmember Bonin and his husband Sean Ariyan issued a statement demanding the immediate resignation of Chairwoman Martinez and the two other councilmembers. They pointed out that "the entire recorded conversation was filled with ugly anti-Black sentiment and political intent to weaken Black representation in the LA Council."

In an interview with the LA Times, Bonin expressed his disappointment with his colleagues, saying, "Their conversation is disgusting and painfully upsetting. It’s one thing to attack me, but why involve my son? My son was not even three years old at the time."

Following the LA Times report, Chairwoman Martinez and Councilmember De Le?n issued apologies.

Martinez said on the 9th, "I take full responsibility for all the expressions I used. I am sorry," explaining that the conversation occurred during discussions about redistricting, which could potentially have a negative impact on people of color.

De Le?n also apologized, stating, "The expressions used in that conversation were entirely inappropriate. I regret the remarks made about my colleague and his family."

However, the controversy did not subside easily, and on the 10th (local time), Nury Martinez, a Latino, released a statement saying, "There is no excuse for my remarks," and announced, "I am resigning immediately from the chairmanship."

Meanwhile, Martinez, the daughter of immigrant laborers and regarded as a woman who broke the "glass ceiling," was elected as a councilmember in 2013 and became the first Latino to be elected as council chair in 2020.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.