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L.A. City Council President Forced Out After Taped Anti-Black Remarks Leaked
When an audio recording of three members of Los Angeles City Council making crude and anti-Black comments was leaked and posted to social media and printed in the Los Angeles Times, Angelenos were outraged.
The torrent of racial insults, made by City Council President Nury Martinez and Councilmembers Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo, came as they discussed how to carve up Los Angeles’ political boundaries during redistricting to maintain Latino political power and ensure their own re-election.
They called a fellow council member’s Black child “a little monkey” and talked about giving the child a “beatdown.” They also mocked another elected official for listening to his Black constituents.
The recording was leaked in early October, a year after the conversation took place. But it touched off a firestorm among many Angelenos who said it exposed the anti-Black motivations they believed had been at the center of the redistricting process and its impact on health, safety, economics and migrants.
There was an immediate call for the resignation of Martinez, de León and Cedillo.
Color Of Change helped members in Los Angeles craft a petition calling for the three to step down. The petition, posted to COC’s Organize For website, garnered more than 1,000 signatures in a matter of days. COC members were part of a larger, growing chorus seeking their ouster.
“Initially, Nury Martinez stepped down as president, but not as a council member,” said Evan Feeney, deputy senior campaign director with COC’s Corporate Accountability Team. That was on Oct. 10.
“We continued to press,” Feeney said, “and finally, two days later, she fully resigned in disgrace.”
Cedillo and de León have refused to step down. But under continued public pressure, both were stripped of their committee assignments and the City Council voted unanimously in late October to censure them.
Petitions demanding their resignation remain on the COC Organize For website, with more people signing them almost daily. Recall efforts also have been mounted against de León, while Cedillo, who lost in a June primary, must leave council in December when his term expires.
“This is the end of the line for them in politics,” Feeney said, noting that the pressure will continue. “Color Of Change will continue to hold elected officials accountable who harm and disparage our communities.”
Ye disinformation interview removed from REVOLT TV platforms
Just days after REVOLT TV posted video from Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, in a controversial interview on the “Drink Champs” podcast, the Black-owned media platform took it down thanks to widespread public backlash — including a Color Of Change petition and pressure from members.
In the interview, posted on Oct. 15, Ye falsely claimed that George Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose in May 2020, even though Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of murder in April 2021 for kneeling on Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
Responding to a petition drawn up by Taurjhai Purdie, a senior campaign manager of COC’s Corporate Accountability Team, COC members demanded that REVOLT TV and “Drink Champs” remove Ye’s interview and disinformation from their platforms and apologize to the Floyd family.
Color Of Change also sent a letter to Detavio Samuels, CEO of REVOLT TV and Media, reminding him of his responsibility and his company’s obligation to cut ties with anyone who uses the platform to harm Black communities. The letter also demanded that he and the media company apologize to Floyd’s family, rebuke Ye and take down his interview.
Under pressure from social media postings, rapper-songwriter N.O.R.E., the podcast host, apologized for not controlling the interview with Ye.
Within days of the petition and letter, REVOLT TV removed the podcast from all of its platforms, including its YouTube channel, which has more than 2.2 million subscribers.
Color Of Change members, inspired by Purdie, had a hand in that victory against the amplification of disinformation that harms Black people and our communities. But Amanda Jackson, director of economic justice on COC’s Corporate Accountability Team, said the work isn’t over.
“We have been in communication with REVOLT. There’s still more follow-up that needs to be done,” she said.
Under Pressure from Students and COC, Penn State Cancels “Comedy” Event with Proud Boys Founder
Designated a white supremacist group, the Proud Boys are notorious for street fighting, hate speech and proven ties to former President Donald Trump’s cronies.
A federal grand jury indicted five group leaders earlier this year, accusing them of plotting against the government in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in the U.S. Capitol.
So when a Penn State University student-led organization announced last month that Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes would speak on campus as part of a provocative “comedy” event — funded in part through activity fees — students were outraged.
That’s when Color Of Change sprang into action. COC put Penn State’s administration on notice over the event, called on its members to flood the president’s office with emails and helped lead other social justice organizations involved in the fight.
Under significant pressure, Penn State canceled McInnes’ appearance — a victory for students and Color Of Change.
“Freedom of speech doesn’t allow for freedom to harm,” said Evan Feeney, deputy senior campaign director with COC’s Corporate Accountability Team.
Billed as a “politically provocative comedy night,” organizers called the event “Stand Back & Stand By,” echoing the tacit message Trump sent to the white nationalist group during a 2020 presidential election campaign debate.
The bill included Alex Stein, a far-right comedian and Blaze TV personality, who has gained notoriety by trolling politicians and others during public comment periods at local government meetings.
Though many considered the event in poor taste, even more students were angry that student fees were going towards the event.
The university “was going to put up $7,000 in student fees to pay for the honorarium for the appearance of these people,” said Tyler McFadden, a COC senior campaign manager on the Corporate Accountability Team. “It was a slap in the face to Penn State students — Black people, Muslims, women, etc., — all of these marginalized communities that are targeted by the Proud Boys and who, essentially, were being forced to fund Gavin McInnes’ appearance on campus.”
Yet Penn State officials refused to cancel the event, citing the university’s commitment to the constitutional right of free speech.
As the furor increased, COC sent a letter to Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi and others in the administration. The letter argued that the leaders would be making a mistake if it gave white nationalists such a high-profile platform at a publicly funded university.
When university officials did not respond, COC asked its members to take direct action. They responded by sending more than 24,000 emails to the Penn State administration demanding cancellation of the event.
Other justice organizations joined the fight. Student demonstrations erupted on campus, and protesters were pepper-sprayed by an alleged member or supporter of the Proud Boys. Ultimately, Penn State officials canceled the McInnes event just hours before it was scheduled to start, citing the threat of escalating violence by Proud Boys and their sympathizers.
McFadden, the COC senior campaign manager, said teamwork between Penn State students on the ground and COC members in cyberspace forced the administration to back down.
“By no means do we believe this was wholly our win,” she said. Penn State students “were putting their bodies on the line to protest. We were just happy to be able to lend them some support and get this canceled.”