L.A. Council Member Nury Martinez Steps Down Over Leak of Past Racist Comments

Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty

Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez stepped down Monday following the release of an audio recording that revealed her making racist remarks about the Black child of a white council member.

"I take responsibility for what I said, and there are no excuses for those comments. I'm so sorry," Martinez said in a statement Monday, reported The New York Times.

"As a mother, I know better and I am sorry. I am truly ashamed."

According to the Los Angeles Times, Martinez made disparaging marks about how white council member Mike Bonin treated his Black son as an "accessory" in a meeting from approximately one year ago.

In the leaked video, Martinez also described Bonin's son as "Parece changuito," or "like a monkey," reported the LA Times.

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"They're raising him like a little White kid," Martinez continued, according to a leak on Reddit. "I was like, 'This kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I'll bring him back."'

Three members of Martinez's council called for her to resign after the recording from Los Angeles City Hall was leaked Sunday. It is also proving to be an incendiary topic ahead of the coming Nov. 8 elections.

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"We are appalled, angry and absolutely disgusted that Nury Martinez attack 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."

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"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.

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On Sunday, Martinez issued a statement apologizing for her comments.

"In a moment of 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, reported NBC News.

"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," she added. "My work speaks for itself. I've worked hard to lead this city through its most difficult time."