Nury Martinez, the head of the Los Angeles City Council, resigned on Monday after an audio recording of her making racist comments against the Black child of a white council member was made public.
“I take responsibility for what I said, and there are no excuses for those comments. I’m so sorry,” Martinez expressed in a statement Monday.
“As a mother, I know better, and I am sorry. I am humiliated.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Martinez allegedly made disrespectful remarks about how white council member Mike Bonin used his Black kid as an “accessory” in a discussion from around a year ago.
Martinez reportedly referred to Bonin’s son in the released video as “Parece changuito,” or “like a monkey,” according to the LA Times.
Three of Martinez’s council colleagues demanded her resignation in response to the Sunday disclosure of the recording from Los Angeles City Hall. Ahead of the next elections on November 8, it is also proving to be a volatile subject.
“We are appalled, angry and disgusted that Nury Martinez attacked our son with horrific racist slurs and talked about her desire to psychically harm him,” Bonin and his partner, Sean Arian, wrote on social media after the leak was made public. “It’s vile, abhorrent, and utterly disgraceful. The City Council needs to remove her as Council President immediately, and she needs to resign from office.”
Our family statement about today's ugly and hateful news. pic.twitter.com/0fPPXwsS5B
— Mike Bonin (@mikebonin) October 9, 2022
“As parents of a Black child, we condemn the entirety of the recorded conversation, which displayed a repeated and vulgar anti-Black sentiment and a coordinated effort to weaken Black political representation in Los Angeles.
The conversation revealed several layers of contempt for the people of Los Angeles and a cynical, ugly desire to divide the City rather than serve it,” the statement added.
Martinez apologized for her remarks in a statement that she released on Sunday.
“In intense frustration and anger, I let the situation get the best of me, and I hold myself accountable for these comments. For that, I am sorry,” she said.
“The context of this conversation was concern over the redistricting process and the potential negative impact it might have on communities of colour,” she added. “My work speaks for itself. I’ve worked hard to lead this City through its most difficult time.”
