Protests at LA city council after audio of racist comments - Axios

Protesters astatine the Los Angeles City Council meeting. Photo: Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

An aggravated assemblage confronted the Los Angeles metropolis assembly Tuesday pursuing the merchandise of a racist speech between councilmembers, arsenic President Biden joins calls for resignations.

Why it matters: The nation's second-largest metropolis is successful the midst of a mayoral predetermination wherever rising crime, growing homelessness and the system person dominated. A caller politician volition person to tackle those issues -- and heal a caller fallout.

Driving the news: The White House said Tuesday that Biden believed Los Angeles councilmembers Nury Martinez and others should resign from metropolis assembly implicit racist remarks heard successful leaked recordings made nationalist this week.

• "The president is gladsome to spot that 1 of the participants successful that speech has resigned, but they each should," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
• She called the comments connected the signaling "unacceptable" and "appalling." Biden is scheduled to sojourn Los Angeles connected Wednesday arsenic portion of a four-day Western swing

Details: Protesters met with councilmembers Tuesday in their archetypal gathering since the merchandise of the concealed signaling and demanded three Latino councilmembers successful the audio resign.

• The assemblage chanted "fuera" — "out" successful Spanish — and "we're with the Blacks" and "shut it down."
• Demonstrators vowed to support protesting going until councilmembers stepped down.

Background: In a astir year-old recording, archetypal reported by the Los Angeles Times, then-Los Angeles City Council President Martinez made racist comments astir a achromatic councilmember's Black son.

• In the recording, she complained that different authoritative was "with the Blacks" successful a redistricting fight, and made racist remarks astir Indigenous radical from the Mexican authorities of Oaxaca.
• Councilmembers Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera were connected the telephone and did not situation Martinez.
• Herrera resigned Monday, Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, caput of the California Labor Federation, told KABC-TV.

Yes, but: Martinez resigned arsenic metropolis assembly president and announced Tuesday she was taking a permission of lack from the legislative body. She remains connected the council.

• Cedillo and de León, who attended Tuesday's meeting, person apologized but person not resigned.

Of note: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, mayoral candidates Karen Bass and Rick Caruso, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and different members of the metropolis assembly person called for each 3 councilmembers to measurement down.

Meanwhile, successful a caller signaling of the aforesaid conversation, Martinez tin beryllium heard saying the "judíos" — which means Jews successful Spanish — "cut their woody with South L.A.," the Los Angeles Times reports.

Zoom out: Martinez's racist comments came during a treatment astir the once-in-a-decade redistricting process of the city's 15-member metropolis council.

• The Latino colonisation successful Los Angeles has exploded portion the percent of Black residents has stagnated yet Black leaders were capable to support immoderate Black-majority seats.

State of play: "There's an anxiousness connected the portion of the African American colonisation is they've been pushed retired of these historical neighborhoods successful South L.A.," Tom Hogen-Esch, a California State University, Northridge governmental subject professor, told Axios.

• Hogen-Esch said the signaling confirms the distrust among immoderate Black leaders that immoderate Latino elected officials don't recognize the struggles of Black residents.

What they're saying: Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin fought backmost tears arsenic helium addressed the taped racist comments astir his Black lad astatine Tuesday's meeting.

• "There are a batch of radical who are present asking for forgiveness. ... First, you indispensable resign and past inquire for forgiveness," Bonin said.

What's next: The situation is improbable to impact the upcoming mayoral election, but if the councilmembers garbage to resign and the protests proceed hostility volition increase.

Editor's note: This nonfiction has been updated with L.A. City Councilmember Mike Bonin.