There's a nice little storm brewing on the Los Angeles City Council

tl;dr version: White council member Mike Bonin and his husband are raising a black child. On a telephone call between other council members, Hispanic council member, oops, I mean Latine Council member Nury Martinez, who is also the City Council president, called the kid "a little monkey" and said he is being "raised like a little white kid" and that "the kid needs a beat-down." The child is 3 years old

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Leaked audio reveals Councilmember Nury Martinez making racist comments, Mike Bonin calls for her removal

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The comments Martinez referenced are those stemming from a conversation that occurred in or around October of 2021, related to the redistricting process--a discussion which spanned about an hour-long, according to the Los Angeles Times.

According to the Times, Martinez along with Councilmembers Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León, and L.A. County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera were present on the call where they also discussed Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas who had been indicted on charges of federal corruption.

The Times reviewed the recording and reported that Martinez allegedly referred to Bonin's son who is Black as "ese changuito," which translates from Spanish to English as "that little monkey."

The Times also reported that Martinez appeared to also discuss Bonin's child's behavior during a parade. The parade as referenced appears to have occurred around 2017. She allegedly said on the call, "[t]hey're raising him like a little white kid. I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I'll bring him back."

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cbs news


Nury Martinez