The former mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, one of the most influential Latino voices in the country, calls for transcending the City Hall racist recording scandal and directing efforts to achieve unity in the city.
In an opinion column in the Los Angeles Times, Villaraigosa writes that “the four Latinos caught on the audio recording are responsible for their actions. They don’t speak for the Latino community.”
As a reference that this is possible, Villaraigosa mentions what happened after the violence in the city in 1992.
“I was heartbroken then and heartbroken again today, a full 30 years since the terrible events of that spring, as the people of Los Angeles again face the demoralizing reality that some in city government not only do not have their best interests at heart, but actively conspire against them, in the vilest terms.”
And he continues his frustration with the performance of Latino activists, whom he has known for many years.
“The fact that the people caught on an audio recording engaging in this disgusting conversation are Latinos and longtime friends has filled me with a sense of anger that is difficult to articulate. […] I have known the people involved for many years and have seen some of them do great things for our community. But somewhere along the line they veered off course. […] These people have failed the test of public service and must accept responsibility, in both words and actions. Nury Martinez, the council president, has resigned from the council. Ron Herrera, the top labor leader in the county, has resigned from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León must resign now too.”
Villaraigosa finished asking to attack the roots of the problem.
“The responsibility for healing this city isn’t only theirs, however. It is imperative that the roots of racism and the broken city structure are not swept under the rug with the next news cycle.”
Write a Reply or Comment
You should Sign In or Sign Up account to post comment.