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'Nury Martinez has got to go’: Protesters lay siege to LA Council Prez’s home after racist audio leak

'We can't keep allowing these people to do whatever they want. It's just blatantly disrespectful,' said one protester

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hours after Los Angeles City Council's President Nury Martinez was heard referring to her colleague Mike Bonin’s son as a "little monkey" in Spanish, protesters rushed to her house demanding her resignation. The October 2021 conversation that contained several derogatory remarks between council president Nury Martinez, members Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León, as well as Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, went viral and protesters wasted no time in thrashing Martinez. 

The racist audio was leaked on Reddit and later picked up by The Los Angeles Times. The angry protesters marched in front of Martinez's house, disobeying the 2021 law Martinez herself implemented that effectively banned protests in residential areas. Standing in front of her house in the Sun Valley, the protestors can be heard saying, "Hey hey, ho ho, Nury Martinez has got to go." Jacky Rodarte, one of the protestors, said, "We can't keep allowing these people to do whatever they want. It's just blatantly disrespectful, it's honestly just evil. That's why we're out here. We want to let her know that she will not be sitting there for much longer and we will get her out of office," as reported by CBS Los Angeles. The protesters also claimed that they would not leave her premises and would continue with the protest until Martinez resigns from her city council position.

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People's City Council - Los Angeles, the group leading the protest, tweeted, "LAPD IS HERE!! LAPD is telling us that we cannot protest outside Nury Martinez’s house. They are citing a law that we cannot engage in a targeted protest. This is bullshit! We will leave when @CD6Nury resigns! #ResignNury." 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. 

Protesters arrive at Martinez's house after leaked audio

After the audio leaked, Bonin told LA Times that he felt "disgusted and angry and heartsick" after listening to Martinez's remarks. The October 2021 conversation between the concerned parties was about council members' remarks on maps that had been proposed by the city's redistricting commission. Bonin said, "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." Bonin pushed for the resignation of all three Latino council members and shared a statement on his Twitter account on behalf of his family. The protesters, according to a video shared on Twitter, also played the leaked recordings on a loudspeaker.

Knock LA reported that Martinez also attacked the LA District Attorney George Gascón in the leaked audio, saying, "F**k that guy, he’s with the Blacks." Later on, she issued an apology via 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." LA Mayor Eric Garcetti told the outlet, "There is no place in our city family for attacks on colleagues and their loved ones, and there is no place for racism anywhere in LA."