The Los Angeles Latino council members who used racist language in a leaked recording have exposed the conflicts — but also the solidarity — between Black and Latino residents.
In the recording, first reported in
, Martinez complained that another official was "with the Blacks" in a redistricting fight and made racist remarks about Mexican Indigenous people. She also made racist comments about a councilmembers' Black son.face in their cities, said Martin Saiz, a political scientist at the California State University at Northridge.
"City politics is about coalition building, and, if your coalition starts to fall apart" little can get done and tensions will develop, he said.The leaked audio showed that overt racism played a role in the redistricting debate, Tom Hogen-Esch, a CSU at Northridge political science professor, told Axios.Black, Latino and Indigenous people demonstrated together at City Hall on Tuesday, calling on Martinez and others to resign.
Black protesters handed out "I'm with the Blacks" T-shirts to Latino protesters. A traditional Oaxacan band played outside the building and marched in solidarity with Black activists. Photos showed them holding
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