MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

LA Council Prez Nury Martinez quits amid protests over recording in which she calls Black child a 'monkey'

'In the end, it is not my apologies that matter most; it will be the actions I take from this day forward,' Nury Martinez said while quitting

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Nury Martinez, president of the Los Angeles City Council, resigned on Monday, October 10, after protestors besieged her house following an audio leak in which former Martinez was heard referring to her colleague Mike Bonin’s son as a "little monkey" in Spanish. The protestors yelled "Hey hey, ho ho, Nury Martinez has got to go," and refused to leave until she resigned, and also played the leaked recordings on a loudspeaker. Soon after, Martinez resigned and issued an apology.

The October 2021 conversation that leaked contained several derogatory remarks between Martinez, members Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, as well as Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera. The recording went viral drawing the residents' ire. Martinez issued an apology and expressed shame. According to Click on Detroit, Martinez said on a statement, "I sincerely apologize to the people I hurt with my words: to my colleagues, their families, especially to Mike, Sean, and you son." She continued, "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."

READ MORE

Rubi Rose lands in hot water for being OK with non-Blacks using N-word sans ‘malicious intent’

Michael Stoil: George Washington professor fired after verbalizing N-word in discussion on hate speech

In the leaked audio, the Democrat could be heard saying, "I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back," referring to Bonin's son. After the audio leaked, Bonin told LA Times that he felt "disgusted and angry and heartsick" after listening to Martinez's remarks stating, "It's fair game to attack me but my son? You have to be pretty petty and insecure and venomous to attack a child. He wasn't even 3 years old. Other than that, I'm speechless." He continued, "We are appalled, angry and absolutely disgusted that Nury Martinez attacked out son with horrific racist slurs, and talked about her desire to physically harm him."

Martinez also attacked the LA District Attorney George Gascón in the leaked audio, saying, "F**k that guy, he’s with the Blacks," as reported by Knock LA. She later issued an apology as reported by LA Times saying, "In a moment of intense frustration and anger, I let the situation get the best of me. I hold myself accountable for these comments. For that I am sorry. The context of this conversation was concern over the redistricting process and concern about the potential negative impact it might have on communities of color. My work speaks for itself. I’ve worked hard to lead this city through its most difficult time."