Opinion: Nury Martinez, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo should resign
When elected officials weave racial attacks into their strategizing over city governance, it’s time for them to leave.October 2021 meeting between Los Angeles council members Nury Martinez, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, along with Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera.
The apparent purpose of the meeting was to discuss redistricting and scheming on how to shape districts in a way that’s politically advantageous to them. In the course of this, Council President Nury Martinez compared Councilman Mike Bonin’s Black son to a monkey and condemned Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón this way, “F__ that guy…he’s with the Blacks.” She also mocked Latinos with indigenous roots because of their appearance, which she described as ugly.
de León likewise lamented what he described as the disproportionate influence of Blacks in Los Angeles, describing their power as “the Wizard of Oz effect,” with Cedillo adding that it’s like “25 Blacks are shouting.” Overall, it was Martinez who made the most troubling of remarks. But it’s the context of the meeting and the substance of what was said that’s an inescapable problem. The recording reveals how Cedillo, de León and Martinez view their roles as city council members in one of the biggest and most diverse cities in the country.
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