美国国家公共电台 NPR--What the city council scandal reveals about LA's racial divides — and solidarity

What the city council scandal reveals about LA's racial divides — and solidarity¹

Transcript²

A leaked Los Angeles City Council recording³ hasn't just upended local politics. It also has highlighted long-simmering racial tensions within the multicultural⁴ city — and the work needed to help it heal.

First, a quick recap: Former city council president Nury Martinez resigned her seat on Wednesday, days after a recording surfaced of her making racist⁵ remarks during an October 2021 conversation with two other councilmembers and a city union leader, all of whom are Latino.

They discussed strategies for using the city's redistricting process to maximize Latino political power and dilute⁶ the power of Black voters (California's attorney general is now opening an investigation⁷ into that process). Martinez used crude and racist language to describe the city's Oaxacan and Black communities, including the Black adopted son of one of her white council colleagues.

"What Nury Martinez was heard saying on this leaked tape were just about the worst things you could say as a politician in a city like Los Angeles, where cross-racial coalitions⁸ are so important in politics," as NPR's Adrian Florido reported.

After the recording emerged — first posted anonymously⁹ to Reddit and then published by the Los Angeles Times — a growing chorus of voices, from local protesters to the White House, called for the implicated¹⁰ council members to step down.

Martinez quit, and Ron Herrera has left his post as the head of the LA County Federation¹¹ of Labor¹², but the other two councilmembers — Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León — have refused to resign. The acting¹³ council president canceled a meeting that had been scheduled for Friday, saying the body couldn't conduct business until those departures happen.

Los Angeles is electing a new mayor in less than a month, and in this week's debate candidates focused largely on the turmoil¹⁴, and on who would be best suited to heal the city's racial divides. Beyond city hall, community groups are bringing Black and Latino residents together to promote solidarity and prevent long-running tensions from flaring¹⁶ up.

Changing demographics have provoked racial tensions

Los Angeles' population has shifted from majority-Black to majority-Latino over the past several decades, and Black Angelenos are increasingly worried that their concerns (including gentrification and homelessness) will be ignored by leaders as Latino political power grows.

Erika Smith, a columnist¹⁷ for the Los Angeles Times, wrote this week that the substance of the recording confirms the "worst fears of many Black Angelenos: That Latino politicians treat political power as a zero-sum game. That because of their numbers, they will take over the leadership of the city, and that because of their racist beliefs, they will ignore our needs."

Smith wrote that the incident has shattered the popular narrative¹⁸ of Los Angeles — and California in general — being some sort of "multicultural mecca, where Black and brown people build alliances to work together."

Despite the tensions associated with its demographic shifts, Los Angeles does have a history of Black and brown communities cooperating in pursuit of progressive causes, according to University of Southern California sociology professor Manuel Pastor¹⁹.

Both he and Smith spoke²⁰ to Morning Edition host A Martínez about how that came to be, and what needs to happen to preserve those alliances and help the city heal.

But there is also common ground and collaboration²¹

"There really were tensions and conflicts around jobs and schools and communities, but ... there's been a tremendous access of Black-brown solidarity building, community bridging, power building that has occurred over the last 30, 40 years, with a lot of that happening in South LA but a lot of that being citywide," Pastor says. "And so one of the things that I think is perhaps the most tragic²² about what's been happening with the revelation of these racist comments by four Latino leaders is that decades and decades of solidarity building were eroded²³, really, in a very short amount of time."

Smith says the recording has shown much work still needs to be done to bring those groups together, "where maybe a lot of people thought that the hardest part kind of was over."

One challenge she mentions in her piece is underrepresentation on city council for Latinos, who make up half of LA's population but less than a third of its councilmembers. Smith says the question isn't whether Black people are overrepresented, but how the council can pursue equity²⁴ in a way that isn't at their expense.

"We've always kind of moved forward as if we just had Black and brown alliances and we're moving together in equity," she says. "But these very real concerns haven't really been addressed recently."

The scandal could be an opportunity to foster unity¹⁵

Pastor is the co-author of a study called "Black Experiences of Latinization and Loss in South Los Angeles," which details the area's shift from 80% Black in 1970 to majority-Latino today. He interviewed Black residents of South LA about their experiences losing what he describes as "hard-fought space."

Black residents had long struggled to gain a foothold in certain parts of the city that had been inaccessible²⁵ to them because of racially restrictive housing covenants²⁶, redlining and other racist real estate practices.

Pastor says he heard a variety of perspectives during these interviews. There was concern about the growing Latino presence, especially because it changes the language spoken in the neighborhood.

"Imagine if you're a parent in a school in South LA, you're a Black parent, [and] all of a sudden the vast majority of kids are Latino," he explains. "And the language that's spoken at the PTA or when a principal is speaking to parents is Spanish, and someone is actually translating into English to you, in a space that was hard-fought."

On the other hand, Pastor says, he heard many people say that Black and Latino communities face the same struggles, "in terms of job quality, unaffordable housing, environmental problems, schools that need significant improvement so that our kids can go to college." He also heard people in predominantly Black spaces talk about the need to form alliances with Latinos.

"So I think there is definitely some sense of resentment²⁷ that is there," he says. "And there's also some ground on which coalitions can continue to be built."

Smith says Black and brown communities are going to continue to share spaces and interact, and so it's important to find a way to continue to live and work together ways that benefits everybody. She believes those efforts start on the streets, at the grassroots level.

"I think right now we're seeing a coming-together of people from various different races and ethnicities that are frankly²⁸ just outraged²⁹ at what has happened," Smith adds. "And it's brought about a unity that probably, frankly, wouldn't have happened if this offensive recording had not been released."

1 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

4 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

5 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

6 dilute   

vt.稀释，冲淡；adj.稀释的，冲淡的

参考例句：

• The water will dilute the wine.水能使酒变淡。
• Zinc displaces the hydrogen of dilute acids.锌置换了稀酸中的氢。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

9 anonymously   

ad.用匿名的方式

参考例句：

• The manuscripts were submitted anonymously. 原稿是匿名送交的。
• Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 536 teachers anonymously. 方法采用自编“中小学教师职业压力问卷”对536名中小学教师进行无记名调查。

10 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

12 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

15 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

16 flaring   

a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的

参考例句：

• A vulgar flaring paper adorned the walls. 墙壁上装饰着廉价的花纸。
• Goebbels was flaring up at me. 戈塔尔当时已对我面呈愠色。

17 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

18 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

19 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

20 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

21 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

22 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

23 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

24 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

25 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

26 covenants   

n.（有法律约束的）协议( covenant的名词复数 )；盟约；公约；（向慈善事业、信托基金会等定期捐款的）契约书

参考例句：

• Do I need to review the Deed of mutual Covenants (DMC)? 我是否需要覆核公共契约(DMC)吗？ 来自互联网
• Many listed and unlisted companies need to sell to address covenants. 许多上市公司和非上市公司需要出售手中资产，以满足借贷契约的要求。 来自互联网

27 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

28 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

29 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。