Protesters in L.A. derail council meeting after leaked racist statements

Protesters inside Los Angeles City Hall were not going to let councilmembers continue with their scheduled meeting — not unless council members resigned who were part of a conversation that was racist against the city's Black and Oaxacan communities.

Leaked recordings of a conversation involving Councilmembers Nury Martinez, Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León captured Martinez describing the Black son of a white council member in crude and racist language. She also described Oaxacan immigrants in Koreatown as "short little dark people."

While the three members have since apologized, they haven't resigned. Martinez stepped down as president of the council and said she will take a leave of absence. Many L.A. residents, even the White House, are demanding they step down.

Councilmember Mike Bonin, whose son was the subject of Martinez's comments, tweeted a call for the three to step down as well.

With no resignation, there would be no meeting, protestors said in chants Wednesday.

Dozens of protestors inside the meeting room shouted over President Pro Tempore Mitch O'Farrell as he attempted to speak and call for order. The protestors held signs that demanded members resign and chanted for the hour the meeting sputtered along.

O'Farrell attempted to order the group to quiet down, but finally called the meeting to an end after losing a quorum before anything on the agenda was addressed. [Copyright 2022 NPR]