The Oaxacan Indigenous community demands the resignation of Los Angeles City Council members: Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León, and Nury Martinez
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Oaxacan Indigenous community demands the resignation of Los Angeles City Council members: Gil Cedillo, Kevin de León, and Nury Martinez Los Angeles, CA – October 12, 2022 – Community leaders and Oaxacan communities living throughout the United States strongly reject racism, classism, colorism and discrimination against the indigenous people of Oaxaca. The Oaxacan community living in Los Angeles, California, whom have been an essential workforce during the pandemic, working in restaurants, construction, and contributing to a vibrant culture in the United States, are subject to racism, classism, and discrimination from Los Angeles, California, City Councilors. These outrageous comments were made known in an audio recording published by the Los Angeles Times where the voice of the sixth district councilor, Nury Martinez, is heard mocking minority communities that include LGBTQ, children, African Americans and the indigenous community. Particularly Oaxacan residents of Korea Town. “I see a lot of short and dark people,” the councilwoman said with laughter about the Oaxacan residents of Korea Town. “I don’t know what village they come from,” she continued to mock, “so ugly.” These statements are dismaying as they incite racial hatred towards our communities that remain socially excluded. Above all, it is worrying for the children and young people of our indigenous communities who are in full development. We are outraged but not surprised, as white Latinx have a long history of discrimination. Indigenous people have fought oppression for over 500 years, light-skinned Mexicans (descendants of Europeans) continue to degrade our race by treating us as strangers in our own lands. Our communities have persevered, like those of our black brothers, resisted and even survived genocide. Our communities have been attacked and from these shared experiences we call for solidarity and say: Enough is enough! For the damage caused, Indigenous community leaders, African American, LGBTQ, and Oaxacan organizations join in calling for Senator Alex Padilla, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles Mayor candidates, and President Joe Biden to demand the immediate resignation of Gil Cedillo, Kevin De León, and Nury Martinez. This resignation would begin the process of healing the damage this has caused to the different resident ethnic groups of Los Angeles. In community, Asociación Oaxaqueños Unidos de Phoenix, AZ Comunidades Indígenas en Liderazgo (CIELO) Centro de Unidad Popular Benito Juárez, Bakersfield, CA Centro Binacional Para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueño (CBDIO), Fresno, CA Club Raza Unida, Los Angeles, CA Coalición de Comunidades indígenas de Oaxaca (COCIO), San Diego, CA Frente Indígena de Organizaciones Binacionales (FIOB), Los Angeles, CA Grupo Folklorico Huaxyacac, Los Angeles, CA Lazos Oaxaqueños, San Jose, CA Mixteco/Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), Oxnard, CA Nueva Antequera, Los Angeles, California Organización Regional de Oaxaca (ORO), Los Angeles, CA Organización MOLE, Chicago, IL Oaxaca Tierra del Sol, Condado de Sonoma Westside Alliance, Los Angeles, CA ### |