'We all deserve better': City officials caught on recording making anti-Indigenous comments
By: Acee Agoyo (Indianz. Com)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
City officials caught on recording making anti-Indigenous comments 'We all deserve better' City officials caught on recording making anti-Indigenous comments Tuesday, October 11, 2022 By Acee Agoyo Indianz.Com
The first and only Native council member in California's largest city is calling on his colleagues to step down for making racist and offensive statements about Indigenous people, African Americans and members of the LGBTQ community.
Mitch O'Farrell, a citizen of the Wyandotte Nation, said the resignations of council members Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon were the only way for the city of Los Angeles to move forward from the "horrific" comments the politicians made about numerous people and groups in the community. "I don't see any way past this," O'Farrell, who represents District 13 on the council, said on Monday as the city was observing Indigenous Peoples' Day, a holiday he helped designate.
What will be required in order to move forward. pic.twitter.com/Tzpgl1dQaP — Mitch O'Farrell (@MitchOFarrell) October 10, 2022
Martinez has stepped down from her role as president of the city council after The Los Angeles Times reported on the derogatory statements she made in the presence of fellow elected leaders and a political figure in the city. She has announced she is taking a leave of absence but O'Farrell said that wasn't enough. "I don't see how that presence, continuing in city leadership, is going to allow the city to move forward to heal, to move past this, to reconcile," O'Farrell said on Monday. "I just think that that presence will continue to be an obstacle if it is still there, in the halls of power at Los Angeles City Hall," O'Farrell continued. "Angelenos deserve better," he said. "We all deserve better."
The turmoil comes at a moment of imminent change, with voters set to usher in a new mayor, city attorney and city controller and several new members of the L.A. City Council in the Nov. 8 election.https://t.co/KfQqcgTZf6 — Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 12, 2022
The Los Angeles Times obtained a recording of a discussion in which Martinez and Cedillo spoke derisively of Indigenous people who come to the city from Mexico. According to the recording shared by the paper and by other sources a day before Indigenous Peoples' Day, the two council members made negative comments about their physical appearance. "I see a lot of little short dark people," Martinez said of the Indigenous residents in a certain part of Los Angeles. Cedillo then chimed in with a remark using the Spanish language. He confirmed that the comments were in reference to people from Oaxaca, a region in Mexico well known for its large population of Mixtecs, Mazatecos, Mixe and other Indigenous peoples. " Puro Oaxacans," said Cedillo, who represents District One on the council. Cedillo further spoke negatively in regard to Kevin de Leon, another council member whose mother was born in Guatemala, a Central American country known for its large Maya and Indigenous representation. She later migrated to California from Mexico. "Not even like Kevin — little ones," Cedillo said, comparing his colleague to other Indigenous people, based on their physical appearances. Martinez can be heard laughing loudly on the recording as Cedillo makes the negative comments about de Leon, who represents District 14 on the city council and mounted an unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Los Angeles this year. However, de Leon was present during the discussion.
He can be heard making racist remarks about the African American child of Mike Bonin, another council member. Martinez, who represents District Six, and Cedillo made racist comments about Bonin's child and about African Americans as well. Also participating in the conversation was Ron Herrera, the president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which is the second largest union in the United States. "We are appalled, angry and absolutely disgusted that Nury Martinez attacked our son with horrific racist slurs, and talked about her desire to physically harm him. It's vile, abhorrent, and utterly disgraceful," Bonin and his family said in a statement on Sunday. "We are equally angry and disgusted by the ugly racist comments about our son from Kevin de Leon and Ron Herrera, who should also resign their posts, and by the tacit acceptance of those remarks from Gil Cedillo," the statement read. Herrera resigned as president of the labor union on Monday evening. "It hurts that one of our son's earliest encounters with overt racism comes from some of the most powerful public officials in Los Angeles," the Bonin family said.
Our family statement about today's ugly and hateful news. pic.twitter.com/0fPPXwsS5B — Mike Bonin (@mikebonin) October 9, 2022
California is home to more than 100 tribes and to the largest number of American Indians and Alaska Natives of any state, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But they account for just 0.7 percent of the population in Los Angeles, a city of more than 3.9 million. A much larger segment of the population in the city, 48.1 percent, considers themselves Hispanic or Latino but no data is available on how many Angelenos hail from Indigenous communities like the ones derided by the council members. The city council met for a regularly scheduled session on Tuesday morning amid a growing number of calls for Nury_Martinez, Cedillo and de Leon to resign. The Los Angeles Times and other media outlets have demanded their resignations, a message that O'Farrell repeated at the meeting. "I do not believe we can have the healing that is necessary or govern as we need to. While council members Martinez, de Leon and Cedillo remain as members of this council," said O'Farrell, who served as temporary president of the council at the session. "The court of public opinion has rendered a verdict, and the verdict is they all must resign," he said to cheers from the audience at city hall.
Los Angeles is at a crisis moment, and I am going to do everything to the best of my ability that will get us through this, and to move us forward.
The healing process cannot begin while Councilmembers Martinez, de Leon, and Cedillo remain on the Council, and they must resign. pic.twitter.com/0EjTvuV77D — Mitch O'Farrell (@MitchOFarrell) October 12, 2022
Dancers at the inaugural Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration in Los Angeles, California, on October 8, 2018. As the first and only Native member of the city council in Los Angeles, Mitch O'Farrell helped designate the holiday. Photo: Luke Arnold
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Seems that some members of the LA City Council showed their true colors.
These people need to follow the ex-leadership of Hockey Canada and find new employment.
The perfect path for them.
all racism is an unamerican activity.
So now you care?
The first time the story was posted you just wanted to attack Republicans. One can only wonder what changed.
I guess this is a step up from the "who cares, it's doesn't affect me" talking point we saw from progressives the first time the story was posted
What a load of nonsense but certainly expected coming from you. In the other article that was posted on this, I pointed out with back up that she was probably not white. I also pointed out that the seeded of the article didn't know much about the Mexican culture.
We should expect better from all of our elected officials, no matter what party. These three should go. They are not fit to hold positions since they do not represent all of their constituents, and because they are lousy human beings.
I doubt that they will survive much longer.
Trevor talks about this in the clip I've shared above.
There's an 'article' elsewhere here supporting that racist Martinez.
Classic...Gotta love Trevor.
I love Trevor. I'm going to miss him when he leaves.
I just noticed Roy called Dua Lipa, Dua Lipita - the singing dove.
LOL!
Dua Lupita.
LMAO
Bigots always out themselves eventually.
Only a silly person argues that Democrats cannot be racist. Anyone can be racist, and that has never been the issue.
This Nury Martinez character probably grew up around anti-black and anti- indigenous sentiment and was never able to overcome those influences, if she even wanted to.
All of them involved in this need to leave public office immediately.
She comes from a class based society and indigenous are on the bottom rung.
If you want a good view of how Indigenous people are treated in Mexico, central and south America.
Then why didn't you keep your stupid mouth shut?
That would require a brain that isn't loaded with racism which obviously he doesn't have.
Not far from where the City council meets there was a ''Indian Slave Market'' from 1850 to 1870. Seems for these so-called ''public servants'' are still living in that time frame.
As a native Angeleno and life-long resident I am here to say that there is only one option: Those three need to go. Now. They can no longer remain as members of our City Council.
Councilwoman Martinez announced her resignation from the City Council. Good. One down, two more to go.
Excellent news. Hopefully her political career is over.
The pushback on this is getting stronger and stronger the protestors completely shut down the City Council meeting yesterday.