Councilwoman Nury Martinez (Sixth District) resigned this week as president of the Los Angeles City Council following the revelation of racist remarks she made during a recorded conversation last year.
A leaked audio recording of a meeting between Martinez, Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera revealed that a number of racially insensitive comments were made.
“I take responsibility for what I said and there are no excuses for those comments. I’m sorry,” Martinez said in a statement Monday. “I ask for forgiveness from my colleagues and from the residents of the 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. Therefore, effective immediately, I am resigning as president of the Los Angeles City Council.”
The revelations have forced the four Latino leaders to make public apologies as calls from the Black community for them to resign their positions increases.
The conversation focused early on frustration with maps that had been proposed by the city’s 21-member redistricting commission. It would later evolve into racist remarks, crude comments about some of their council colleagues, and a discussion of how to consolidate and preserve political power.
This article is a part of a series of articles for Our Weekly’s #StopTheHate campaign and is supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library. #NoPlaceForHateCA,
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