well, good morning! this is @hasrra18 getting ready to live-tweet today's 10am LA City Council meeting.
@hasrra18 Jon Peltz will also be live-tweeting from inside
https://twitter.com/JonnyPeltz/status/1579873713956061191?s=20&t=z6aMJoYnWzA0qN1DD6820Q
@hasrra18 This is the first city council meeting since we released leaked audio of Martinez, de León, Cedillo, + Herrera spewing racism, homophobia, and dreams of violence against children, while plotting to rearrange LA’s districts to bolster their power knock-la.com/nury-martinez-…
@hasrra18 In the recordings, the city council members and LA Fed president (tho he is apparently resigning) plotted to break up Nithya Raman’s district to dilute the power of tenants
@hasrra18 Martinez used extremely racist language to refer to her colleague's Black son, and said she would have liked to beat him up last year (when he was two years old). she also said that the indigenous Oaxacan people in Koreatown are "ugly"
@hasrra18 I really hate typing that out so I'd also like to boost some more positive images and organizations
@hasrra18 this is Sra. Nati, a longtime organizer with the Organización regional de Oaxaca (ORO) an LA-based Oaxacan organization (thanks @Janet_Mart1)
https://twitter.com/CRLAinc/status/1579633730662334465?s=20&t=NtP_dayHPqfCkVcTEEUl0g
@hasrra18 as you can see from the headline, Martinez also disparaged Black people as a whole knock-la.com/nury-martinez-…
@hasrra18 here's one of many Black-led organizations calling for resignations of all involved
https://twitter.com/LA_StudentsDsrv/status/1579589553362718721?s=20&t=z6aMJoYnWzA0qN1DD6820Q
@hasrra18 heres info on @MyCielola, which supports and uplifts indigenous people of the Americas living in Los Angeles vogue.com/article/indige…
@hasrra18 @MyCielola @MyCielola held a press conference yesterday morning and evening calling on not only resignations, but also a "worker and community racial reckoning process" to include a person from CIELO and someone from BLM-LA
@hasrra18 @MyCielola council member Curren Price organized the 10 pm vigil last night, which included a Oaxacan brass band
https://twitter.com/CurrenDPriceJr/status/1579719746651828227?s=20&t=eD_-MG7fUwpr5FSmKJaa8A
@hasrra18 @MyCielola i really can't keep track of how many people and orgs have called for resignation but it is a LOT
@hasrra18 @MyCielola there have also been protests outside Martinez's home and de León's home
@hasrra18 yesterday Nury Martinez stepped down as council president but not as council member. an hour before today's meeting was to begin she said this has all been very hard for her so she's taking a leave of absence -- ie staying home, getting paid, not facing her constituents' anger
@hasrra18 there is actually an agenda for today's meeting that is not about the audio, though, so let me just tell you a few items from it
@hasrra18 Rodriguez and Blumenfield introduced 2 items: one to hand out over a million extra dollars to the police, and one to expand a small pilot project that could provide some alternatives to police
@hasrra18 to motivate people to become cops, item 18 would have the city find $1.37 million to pay cops $5-10k bonus when they sign up for Recruit Academy, another 5k when they make it thru probation, another 5k if they make it thru 18 mo, and another 5k if they make it thru 3 years
@hasrra18 relatedly, LAPD killed someone today
https://twitter.com/LAPDPIO/status/1579845287795097608
@hasrra18 item 13 would extend an agreement w the county and find money to expand the Therapeutic Van Pilot Program by which some mental health 911 calls get a "therapeutic van" sent out rather than cops. The van has a “psychiatric technician, peer support specialist, and clinical driver”
@hasrra18 Garceetti announced the Therapeutic Van Pilot Project 2 years ago but NBC says the vans sat idle for 14+ months. Recently one or two have been up and running, and this item is about expanding to eventually have 5 vans for the entire county of Los Angeles
nbclosangeles.com/investigations…
nbclosangeles.com/investigations…
@hasrra18 item 31 would have the city confer w counsel about a lawsuit from Lillian Woodfin Parker, a cop suing the city for harassment, discrimination, whistleblower retaliation. brave given that cops recently killed a fellow cop who was investigating them independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…
@hasrra18 items 23 and 24 are about removing properties from REAP, a program by which tenants pay discounted rent to an escrow account rather than the landlord, if LAHD has found the landlord consistently neglecting repairs
@hasrra18 as a reminder you can report landlord's code violations (re poor conditions or inaccessibility, harassment, illegal evictions) here: housing.lacity.org/residents/file…
@hasrra18 there is not yet any live feed but thankfully we have Jon Peltz inside live-tweeting - check out his thread here:
https://twitter.com/JonnyPeltz/status/1579875497420369920?s=20&t=K6T6tdF7IVueHLtuiWwYwA
@hasrra18 looks like lots of people and organizations present inside including @DTCrenshaw and @CalOrganize, and people are chanting "not one more day!"
@hasrra18 "Black lives, they matter here!"
@hasrra18 the meeting has not yet begun and the live stream is still just elevator music
@hasrra18 meanwhile here are some local Black-led orgs you may wish to follow: @BLMLA @LA_StudentsDsrv @essie4justice @YoungWomenFree @JusticeLANow @TheoHen95302259 @YouthJusticeLA @TRUSTSouthLA1 @southlatenants
@hasrra18 Crowd shouts: Resign now! Resign now! Out! Out! Out!
@hasrra18 perhaps you'd like to add to this list:
https://twitter.com/GodfreyPlata/status/1579244407005802497?s=20&t=TrSVFXFIxdKQqOZWLeYKBg
@hasrra18 official city council live stream begins!
@hasrra18 "I want Gil's resignation right now!!"
@hasrra18 O'Farrell is president pro tem (temp replacement president) and tries to quiet the crowd by saying let's listen to the people who came here today who need to be heard
@hasrra18 "this house is out of order! the meeting will not start!" shouts a protester
@hasrra18 O'Farrell says we are meeting to work thru these issues, let's respect the people who showed up
@hasrra18 crowd shouts RESIGN NOW
@hasrra18 Bonin says good morning everyone...please, can this meeting begin so we can speak and you can speak to the issue that brought you all here
@hasrra18 shouts of "de León, get out!!!!!"
@hasrra18 Bonin says please let us call the roll, I would like to speak
@hasrra18 someone in the front says "with these two guys [Cedillo and de León] there is no roll. they've got to leave"
@hasrra18 chants of "GET OUT de León! GET OUT Cedillo!"
@hasrra18 same person in the front says "this is an illegal meeting. these two have got to go"
@hasrra18 "LEAVE! LEAVE! LEAVE! LEAVE!" "You laughed at us! You need to leave!"
@hasrra18 Price and O'Farell seem to be trying to negotiate with de León and Cedillo
@hasrra18 Cedillo walks out. de León is left with the crowd chanting Leave! Leave! Leave!
@hasrra18 "Get out like you wanted us out!"
@hasrra18 de León walks out, crowd cheers
@hasrra18 person in front says only Bonin should be allowed to speak. we can't have this meeting until the resignations
@hasrra18 O'Farrell says we will hear public comment from everyone who filled out a card. crowd shouts no! some say no meeting until all 3 resign
@hasrra18 "we are going to have a meeting today. it is going to happen. it can happen with everyone in the room or we can have a meeting without any of you in the room." -O'Farrell
@hasrra18 "we don't want to put you out. this is your house" -O'Farrell
@hasrra18 I heard Fauble say (to cops? not sure) "as soon as anyone throws anything, you're going to order the room cleared. that's going to be the breaking point."
@hasrra18 crowd chants: we are the people fighting for justice
@hasrra18 crowd chants: Paul Koretz is anti-Black
@hasrra18 in 2020 Koretz said George Floyd's murder was awful but the property damage in WeHo was "no less troubling"
@hasrra18 Mitch says we would like to hear from Bonin, will you let us? and then will you let us have the meeting please?
@hasrra18 Bonin begins to speak, to some cheers from the crowd. "you got the floor, bro!"
@hasrra18 tearfully Bonin says: I really don't want to be here. I want to be home with my family right now
@hasrra18 Bonin says I am reeling, heartbroken and sick for our family and for LA
@hasrra18 Bonin says these people gave a beatdown to the heart and soul of the city (referencing Nury saying she wanted to give his 2 year old Black son a "beatdown")
@hasrra18 Bonin before anything else I'm a dad who loves his son in ways words can't capture. I know I take a lot of hits and may invite some of it. but my son? that makes my soul bleed
@hasrra18 Bonin says as a white father of Black child you stumble, fuck up, try to do your best. I know I can't know or comprehend or feel the weight of daily relentless anti-Black racism my son will face but I know the fire you feel when someone tries to destroy Black boy joy. it's a rage
@hasrra18 Bonin says on the tapes I also heard racist attacks on Oaxacans, homophobic tropes, antisemitism, and coordinated efforts to disenfranchise Black people and renters and weaken the voice of progressives and undermine anyone who tries to do coalition-building
@hasrra18 Bonin says he's outraged and sickened
@hasrra18 Bonin says people are now asking for forgiveness and that's a good first step. then he says wait no -- resignation is a good first step
@hasrra18 Bonin: you shouldn't be asking me for forgiveness, it's not my prerogative, but that of a boy who's too young to understand what's going on. when he's older you can ask, for now we are trying to care for him when strangers mention this or he one day googles to find it
@hasrra18 Bonin says it's up to the Oaxacan, AAPI, gay, Jewish, and Black communities to decide whether to forgive
@hasrra18 Bonin speaks of the "overwhelmingly joyful anti-Blackness" expressed in the recording, and the coordinated effort to disenfranchise
@hasrra18 Bonin says I want to forgive and lead with love and I promise I'll try. he thanks Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Karen Bass, Melina Abdullah, and other parents of Black children, and LGBTQ parents, for their kindness in this painful time
@hasrra18 "these people know how to put family first"
@hasrra18 Bonin thanks Eric Garcetti, Nithya Raman, Hugo Soto-Martinez for their friendship, love, and moral support
@hasrra18 Bonin says with a lot of work LA can become a city where reality matches our aspirations
@hasrra18 Bonin is heartened by "a multiracial crop of young progressives determined to build coalitions"
@hasrra18 Mitch says thanks for expressing your sorrow, we share it and we're here for you. the crowd boos Mitch
@hasrra18 Mitch says let's move on to the meeting. People shout, shut down the meeting! We want the resignations! Mitch says we'll pause for as long as we need to
@hasrra18 Mitch nods to someone and says since we can't proceed, I'll call a recess. We'll call it again when we can regain order. Fauble says we're taking a recess to regain order in the chambers. Video cuts out, pretty quickly cuts back to Mitch and Fauble pleading for order
@hasrra18 Council start roll call with Blumenfield: "present, let's start the meeting." Bonin rushes back to the mic to say present, but clerk gets impatient and just read through everyone's name, doesn't give them time to say "present," and the meting begins with 10 members present
@hasrra18 first commenter is Candido who has seen corruption since arriving in LA in 1989. says Martinez laid a nuclear bomb but the community should forgive her (boos)
@hasrra18 Mitch says to commenters "feel free to focus in on what you're feeling"
@hasrra18 next commenter says Martinez damaged decades of interracial solidarity building with her revolting comments
@hasrra18 re item 19 next commenter says de León is a piece of shit, and on item 20 (reward for info on a crime), commenter says snitches get stitches. Fauble says that's off-topic (it's not!) and Mitch says "you're done speaking" even tho he has nearly 3 min left
@hasrra18 next commenter says Bonin has been calling people names for years and pulled Black people off Venice Beach for real estate
@hasrra18 state assembly member Isaac Bryan state says we listened to an hour of some of the most hateful things from some of the most powerful people
@hasrra18 state assembly member Isaac Bryan says I am also a Black adopted child so I feel for your son and I'm so glad he can see you fighting for him and I'm here to fight with you
@hasrra18 state assembly member Isaac Bryan says the people have called for resignations and many elected officials have called for resignations and we need them before we can move forward into healing. we will heal but not without accountability
@hasrra18 city council continues items 1-10 and 14-16
@hasrra18 next commenter says all 3 must resign now, says I come from indigenous heritage, have a grandchild of color, and I'm hurting from this. we need respect. remember: we pay your salaries. resign
@hasrra18 next commenter from Black LA Young Democrats shows off "We Are With the Blacks" shirt. Martinez denigrated Gascón by saying he's with the Blacks but we think it's good to be in solidarity with Black people, and we call for resignations and investigation into racist gerrymandering
@hasrra18 Jo Helen Shumet says I wish Cedillo was in the room so he could hear how disappointed I am in him - I used to work with him at DPSS and we all loved him then
@hasrra18 Juan Carlos from United Methodist Church says I'm Afro Cuban and LA is very sad - all 4 just need to say I'm sorry and I've got to go
@hasrra18 previous commenter also said Martinez needs to give Ridley-Thomas back his benefits
@hasrra18 next commenter is from National Action Network LA, says I'm also an adopted child, and nobody’s child is a monkey. That language is unacceptable. all of city council should put pressure on their colleagues to resign today
@hasrra18 next commenter says fuck you to all of them, says the whole meeting is illegitimate, and can you believe they had the audacity to sit here in front of the people the demeaned. !unacceptable! to continue with business as usual
@hasrra18 next is a pastor condemning the "Jim Crow antebellum South back room" talk. says you will not shame Blackness or our royal children. we will come for you
@hasrra18 says all should resign and Martinez's check should be grabbed like she grabbed MRT’s check and benefits
@hasrra18 Damien Goodmon introduces self as CD 10 resident, from Downtown Crenshaw and the Crenshaw Subway Coalition, and "a member of the Blacks"
@hasrra18 Goodmon says we sit on unceded Tongva land
@hasrra18 Goodman says my family fled segregation in the South in 1904, established first Black bank, first FHA Housing for Black people in the country, and Destination Crenshaw will hopefully recognize their and others' accomplishments
@hasrra18 Goodmon says much has changed and much has changed the same: the racist anti-Blackness and anti-gayness is reflective not just of individual bigotry but a city gov that is rotten and anti-Black at its core
@hasrra18 Goodmon says this racism is reflected in policies, budget, hiring. no wonder we have the largest unhoused population in the nation, which is disproportionately Black, no wonder there is so much Black displacement
@hasrra18 pastor from Church Without Walls says there should be no other business today except resignations and hearing from the people
@hasrra18 next speaker says your political careers are over, time to go, and we need a complete investigation into the redistricting process and the house of labor
@hasrra18 Reverend Eddy Anderson says I was a part of the redistricting commission from CD 10 and we heard the n-word a lot in the process, and new maps came to us all of a sudden- from where?
@hasrra18 pastor with Clergy for Black Lives says we are hurt by progressive plantation politricks. the apologies were pretentious and disingenuous, we need resignation and investigation
@hasrra18 Maria says I love my Oaxacan people, we work in the fields to bring food to your table. I may not have the education you do but I have respect. and you should respect tenants- we are humans just as you are
@hasrra18 Irma Mendez says to city council you didn't keep your word to protect people during covid because you are too prejudiced- we don't need you!
@hasrra18 council continues item 21 to next week
@hasrra18 Maria says I'm embarrassed to see my Hispanic reps act like this. revoke last week's votes where they took away protections for tenants
@hasrra18 next commenter says we are united against this as Black people and Latinos. says landlords are taking advantage of us.
@hasrra18 next commenter says listen up, I'm representing indigenous Oaxacans. it's too bad Nury isn't here with her little cackle to say to my face that I'm an ugly Oxacacan. Politicians like to ask for our vote but they are corrupt.
@hasrra18 Eloisa says it's hard enough being Black without the government being actively racist against us. says you indicted MRT- indict these three
@hasrra18 Big Money Griff says this is disgraceful. Get rid of these three. says I'm 72 yrs old and sick and tired of being sick and tired.
@hasrra18 lesbian mom Ellen says this was appalling and there should be immediate resignation and investigation
@hasrra18 next commenter says half of you don't even regularly show up here. you probably also say racist stuff, you just didn't get caught
@hasrra18 commenter says I don't care about apologies, just cut the check: give $150 million to Kingdom Warrior Foundation
@hasrra18 Veronica says I'm from Downtown Crenshaw Rising, One Queens Army, and most importantly I'm Black. you act like CD 10 residents don't matter but all Black people matter
@hasrra18 Andrew says resign! you messed up redistricting. I'm guessing there are several more people on the council who should resign before their similar leaked audio comes out- otherwise we'll find it
@hasrra18 next commenter says Nury doesn't represent the Latino community and never will. she's a failure
@hasrra18 next commenter says a racist mind is toxic and will cause you to rot internally. says I had racist experiences with Cedillo's staff
@hasrra18 next person on item 21 says Destination Crenshaw wants money, it's a nice project but more than an art museum CD 8 needs jobs, grocery stores, banks, housing. we don't even have a library! Harris-Dawson is calling for resignations, great, but hasn't helped at all with all that
@hasrra18 Bex says these vile comments were obviously not just in the heat of the moment. you're not ashamed of your behavior but that you got caught. resign now!
@hasrra18 Enrique says the comments indicate who they are and what they value, and shows why they promote gentrification. says this is historic, don't take it lightly. election is coming and you're all vulnerable
@hasrra18 next says all of you should be investigated, no exceptions. also Mitch, the way you talk about us is demeaning "oh, we'll do this with or without you"
@hasrra18 Elizabeth says they make fun of us like we're nothing. what color is Nury's blood that she thinks she's better than us? We may be short but we're mighty. Resign.
@hasrra18 says protect tenants. protections expire Jan 31 and that's not enough time. we don't need more people living in the streets
@hasrra18 next says I voted for KDL before I realized he's racist. city council should have more honor
@hasrra18 Leilani from Black LA Young Democrats says my wife asked is this the right city to raise our 3 yr old Black son? I said we're not going anywhere. I love this city
@hasrra18 commenter says council plotted to diminish Black power
@hasrra18 next commenter we're all equal before god and deserve respect
@hasrra18 next commenter says apology and then AMENDS which means resignations
@hasrra18 Anabela we need to educate our kids against racism and our leaders should not stand in the way of that. we need better reps
@hasrra18 Charles says what city council members said on leaked audio, they said 1st in their actions, funding LAPD + 41.18 + ending tenant protections. they showed their contempt for all of us in their actions- and Mitch too, ordering fascist storm troopers in echo park, we didn't forget
@hasrra18 next person says if you had a drop of shame you'd resign. there are so many people living on the street because you don't do your job. you let landlords harass us
@hasrra18 Nancy has 2 demands: the removal of the racist classist council members for their stupid comments, and the indefinite expansion of eviction moratorium- to protect the Black and indigenous people they plotted to harm
@hasrra18 next commenter says we have the same blood, we are all equal, and you can wipe your ass with your fancy education
@hasrra18 next commenter says Bonin should be the council president and council should repeal 41.18 because it's anti-Black, and everyone who promoted it should resign too
@hasrra18 Arnold says the city has been disregarding SEQUA laws to build high rises despite the worst water shortage ever. Fauble says those items were continued so you can have 1 minute. Arnold calls him a bastard and more, says MRT stole $660 of fed funds
@hasrra18 Jason says Ethiopia is engaged in genocide so the motion to light up city hall in their honor is signing off on war crimes- but also all KDL motions should be shut down until he resigns
@hasrra18 Jason says Black boys are robbed of innocence, joy, humanity daily
@hasrra18 Jason says there's no coming back from this. Resign, retire, go to hell
@hasrra18 Eric says they should not resign but be removed and barred from ever holding office
@hasrra18 Eric says this city is big and there should be more city council members
@hasrra18 rep from local NAACP says I don't accept your apology. you meant what you said and said what you meant. resign.
@hasrra18 CLUE rep says you oppress all of us. there is a lot of racial discrimination in construction. cops harass Black and brown communities
@hasrra18 next commenter says thanks for showing us your real face and making sure you'll never be anything else
@hasrra18 Hassan says they should resign, they're with the corporate landlords- covid protections should extend
@hasrra18 next caller says this city council is a tool of the LAPD and is illegitimate until those resignations. how dare you continue as usual.
@hasrra18 next commenter with People's Association of Justice Activists says all should resign and the state attorney general should investigate
@hasrra18 Jill says I'm a professor of democracy and going to use this as an example in my teaching of how we don't truly have democracy here yet
@hasrra18 commenter from AME Zion Church "church with the Blacks" says I'm tired of politicians saying Black Lives Matter but then disenfranchising Black voters. says open meeting laws were violated
@hasrra18 Cliff from a roofers' union that includes Black people, immigrants, Oaxacan people, says the city council members must resign, and Martinez is a coward and a punk to take a leave of absence. says we took care of our business at LA Fed and this body needs to as well
@hasrra18 Mike from National Association of Black Social Workers echoes calls for accountability and resignation
@hasrra18 pastor from SLCC says thanks for inspiring unity like I've never seen before, and if you don't handle your business we will
@hasrra18 next commenter says most of us have racist tías/family members and we don't want them to have power. city council should remove the council members if they don't resign
@hasrra18 next commenter says this was not a slipup, this is Nury
@hasrra18 Ricci says I put my name down but you didn't call ilt so I put my name down as "Mike S" and got called right away. says this racism is city council culture, you all do it. Koretz just attacked a 20 year old Black youth activist
@hasrra18 final commenter says you should refuse to conduct business until the resignations. then Mitch says ok time to continue with the meeting
@hasrra18 Mitch says now "we have to grapple with devastating transgressions" of his colleagues "and the deep wounds they've caused." says "I'm hurt angry and sad" like you are
@hasrra18 Mitch what we do now and in the immediate days to come will be pivotal, and we will meet the moment
@hasrra18 Mitch lists bad things city council members were caught doing including "carving up the city for pure political gain," and promoting the notion that giving renters more say in government is somehow wrong
@hasrra18 Mitch says we can't heal or properly govern with those 3 still in office
@hasrra18 Mitch says I didn't even want to be president pro tem but I stepped up
@hasrra18 Mitch introduces a notion to elect a new city council president next Tuesday
@hasrra18 Mitch says he's introducing a motion to reform city charter, city council, and redistricting, including possibly expanding the number of council seats, which hasn't increased since 1925
@hasrra18 Mitch says tomorrow they will discuss a ballot measure for an independent redistricting commission to attempt to repair the gerrymandering caught on tape
@hasrra18 Rodriguez demands her colleagues resign
@hasrra18 council votes all yes on items 11-13, 17, 19, 20, 22-26
@hasrra18 council votes yes on item 18
@hasrra18 city votes all yes to allow settlements for several lawsuits against the city
@hasrra18 here's a motion from Nithya Raman to convene a new committee on governance reform 
@hasrra18 here's a motion from O'Farrell to place charter reform, including increasing number of city council seats, on the ballot. and also to begin a new redistricting process (pic from @JonnyPeltz)
@hasrra18 and here's a motion from Blumenfield to censure Cedillo, de León, and Martinez "for their racially insensitive and divisive statements...even if their actions do not constitute a ground for removal from office under the Charter"
@hasrra18 meeting has adjourned. thanks for tuning in. if you appreciate our live tweeting, our release of the full audio, or anything about us, consider supporting us so we can do more. thank you! patreon.com/KNOCK_LA
@hasrra18 I also want to again boost Jon's live tweet thread from inside city hall today, Jon rocks
https://twitter.com/JonnyPeltz/status/1579903133957771264?s=20&t=dNb6vxR0q4MJnKOgJE2Lqg
here is a resolution calling for the immediate resignations of all 3 city council members heard in the audio.
it's signed by every city council member who was present for today's meeting (Buscaino and Lee did not show up)
it's signed by every city council member who was present for today's meeting (Buscaino and Lee did not show up)
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