Protesters demand resignations at a chaotic Los Angeles City Council meeting following the racist scandal

By Antonio

An outraged crowd rallied outside Los Angeles City Hall on Tuesday and demanded the immediate resignation of three Latino City Council members after an audio recording of racist comments surfaced this week.

The raucous group initially delayed the start of the meeting and chanted "resign now" and "not one more day," directing their anger at Nury Martinez, Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, who have apologized for their role in the recorded audio at secret at a meeting last year.

Martinez has resigned as council president, and has announced that she will be taking a leave of absence from the council, according to NBC Los Angeles.

[“They betrayed us”: they demand the resignation of all the councilors recorded in a racist conversation]

In leaked comments from a meeting last year, Martinez compared council member Mike Bonin's black son, who was 2 at the time, to an animal.

She is also heard on the recording implying that the county's progressive district attorney should not be supported because he is "with the blacks."

For a Latino activist in Los Angeles "it was very painful" what the councilmen did

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The 2021 audio of a political strategy meeting attended by a handful of Latino Democrats on the council was first reported Sunday by the Los Angeles Times.

"Resign Today"

Before Tuesday's gathering began, some members of the crowd wore T-shirts that read, "I stand with black people."

When Cedillo was seen, the crowd began to chant: "Resign, Gil."

The crowd booed when they saw de León.

Neither Cedillo nor de León remained at the meeting or participated in the voting.

Lori Condinus of the Los Angeles National Action Network was one of dozens of members of the public who spoke.

“The anti-black — unacceptable.

Anti-immigrant language: unacceptable.

We are here today to say, 'Resign today,'” Condinus said.

"Not tomorrow, not when he finishes his term, but today," he reiterated.

Council member Mitch O'Farrell, who is serving as acting president, agreed with the crowd, saying it's time for all three to move on.

“I don't think we can have the healing we need or govern the way we need to as long as council members Martinez, de León and Cedillo remain members of this council.

I say these words with a heart full of sadness, but this is a sad and deeply tragic time for this city,” he stated.

[Councilwoman Nury Martinez takes a leave of absence amid criticism after scandal over racist comments]

"The court of public opinion has issued a verdict, and that is that they must all resign," he said.

O'Farrell's statement was met with cheers.

Even President Joe Biden has spoken out on the issue, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

"He thinks all of them should resign," Jean-Pierre said.

“The language that was used and tolerated during that conversation was unacceptable and appalling.

They should all resign,” he added.

"It makes my soul bleed and my temper burn"

An emotional Bonin, whose adopted son was subjected to racist language on the recording, told the meeting that he was "reeling."

"My husband and I are angry, heartbroken and disgusted for our family and for Los Angeles," she said.

The comments on the recording were vile and "cut the spirit" of the city.

[Los Angeles Federation of Labor President Resigns Over Racist Comments Scandal]

Bonin said he loves his son and that, as a white father with a black son, he didn't want "an angry white father" to be the center of attention.

He assured that racism against his son was off limits.

"There will be a tsunami of evictions."

Thousands of Los Angeles residents may end up on the street

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14, 202201:23

“That makes my soul bleed, and it makes my temper burn.

And I know I'm not alone, because Los Angeles has spoken, and feels the same way,” she explained.

"Apologizing is a good first step," Bonin said.

Then he corrected himself and said that it was a second step, the first being resignation.

Resignation and leave of absence

Last year's meeting, ostensibly about political strategy and redistricting, was attended by Martinez, Cedillo and de León, as well as Ron Herrera, the president of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.

They are all Latino Democrats.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Herrera tendered his resignation at a meeting Monday night with the federation's board of directors, which accepted it.

Herrera and the Workers Federation could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

[“Pa' out!”: Shouts of outrage at the Los Angeles City Council over racist comments]

Martinez apologized and announced he was stepping down as council president in a statement Monday.

“I apologize to my colleagues and to the residents of this city that I love so much.

In the end, the most important thing is not my apologies, but the actions I take starting today.

I hope they give me a chance to make amends,” she said.

“Therefore, effective immediately, I am resigning from the position of Speaker of the Los Angeles City Council.”

Protesters hold signs and shout slogans before the start of the City Council meeting in Los Angeles, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Ringo HW Chiu / AP

He announced a leave of absence Tuesday, NBC Los Angeles reported, but has not indicated whether he will resign his council seat.

"This has been one of the most difficult times of my life and I recognize that this is entirely my own doing," Martinez said in a statement.

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“Right now, I need to take a leave of absence and spend some time having an honest and candid conversation with my family, my constituents and community leaders.

I am very sorry for the residents of Council District 6, for my colleagues and for the city of Los Angeles," she stated.

The recording that started the storm

The audio surfaced on a Reddit discussion forum this month, but has since been deleted.

The source of the recording is unknown and NBC News has not determined if it has been edited.

The comments about Bonin's son referred to the boy's behavior at a parade in 2017 when he was 2 years old.

Martinez used a Spanish term to refer to the boy as an animal.

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Martinez also dismissed Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, a justice reform advocate who is reviled by law-and-order politicians and who has survived two Republican-led impeachment attempts, as unworthy of the support of the people in the room.

“Fuck that guy.

He is with the blacks,” she said.

Also on the recording, De León called Bonin, who is white, the “fourth black member” of the 15-seat council.

De León said that Bonin does not support Latinos, that he has never said “not a peep” about them.

Martinez asked why Bonin supposedly thinks he's black, and De Leon responded, "His son is."

De León — a San Diego-raised politician who rose to statewide prominence as a legislator and then ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Los Angeles — suggested that Bonin treated her son like a fashion accessory, a handbag.

Herrera did not appear to make any racist comments.

He did say that the group's support for a leader taking office from a traditionally black district should be someone who is an ally in Latino interests.