Conversations that happen behind closed doors are usually not revealed to the public, but sometimes when they are, the truth can be uncovered. 

     Former L.A. City Council President, Nury Martinez, was ousted from office after leaked tapes of racist remarks were revealed early in October. The remarks came from a conversation between herself, Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León and Ron Herrera. Cedillo and León are both councilmen and Herrera is the Los Angeles Labor Federation President. All of the members involved were completely unaware that the conversation was being recorded.

     Martinez’s rant stemmed from tense political rivalries and a desire to empower the Latino community. She verbally attacked Councilman Mike Bonin who was a political opponent of hers for some time. Some of Martinez’s worst remarks were about Bonin’s adopted son who is African-American.  

     Some of the things Martinez said about Bonin’s son were, “Su negrito, like on the side,” and “they’re raising him like a little white kid,” and “I was like, this kid needs a beatdown. Let me take him around the corner and then I’ll bring him back.” These were just some of the remarks Martinez made in the leaked recordings.

     Martinez issued an apology for her remarks, but very few considered it to be enough to justify her keeping her position in office. 

     “In a moment of intense frustration and anger, I let the situation get the best of me and I hold myself accountable for these comments. For that I am sorry,” Martinez said in a interview with the L.A. Times. 

     California Governor, Gavin Newsom, called for Martinez’s resignation and claimed it was necessary in the given situation. Newsom also pushed for León, Cedillo and Herrera to resign considering their participation regarding Martinez’s remarks and the men’s inability to condemn her.

     Many believe the incident as a whole has hurt the L.A. City Council’s reputation by creating instability in office. 

     “I think that it is embarrassing especially for people in power,” Monte Vista junior Jack Lillie said. 

     Additionally, Martinez’s exposure took a very long time to surface considering she had been in the city council since 2013. With how long she stayed in power the incident may also hurt the country’s trust in other political leaders and figures.

     “It makes me question the basis on which they gain that power,” said Lillie. 

     Unfortunately, for Martinez, the general public lost their trust in her and ruled her unfit to be president of the L.A. city council. The only thing that awaits her now is a swift exit out of office.