Letters to the Editor: Readers call on Councilwoman Nury Martinez to resign after she claims to have taken responsibility for the racist comments of her former intern (May 4)
On behalf of the Asian Pacific Islander Community Advisory Council (APICA), I would like to respond to the letter written by Councilwoman Nury Martinez.
The first part of your letter is an attempt to deflect blame for the recent controversy of the APICA. In your letter, you imply that the racist comments that have been made in San Jose and San Francisco are somehow due to Ms. Nury Martinez herself. However, these racist comments predated Ms. Martinez and they were spread by other members of the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors has not held meetings in recent years because of the controversy.
Your recent article in the Bay Area Reporter, “‘If you don’t like it, move away,’ says Nury Martinez of her intern,” indicates your intent to deflect attention away from the racism that has been brought to light in recent months. In this article (quoted at the top of the May 5 issue), you imply that Ms. Martinez is unappreciated, even though she had no role in the racist comments that were allegedly made by the intern. Rather than address the issue of the racist remarks, you are attempting to attack the person who has brought the issue of racism to light.
You also make the misleading claim that there is a “war” between San Jose and San Francisco. There is not, at least not directly, at this time. Indeed, it is not a war between the two cities, but rather an ongoing battle between citizens of every city who feel the brunt of racism in our society.
In fact many of our African-American colleagues in San Francisco, and the Mayor of San Francisco, have spoken out against the racist statements of one of our former interns.
We hope that the citizens of San Jose will take time to review and study the details of this issue and address it without making inflammatory statements. This is especially true here in San Jose after the recent events of the racist comments by the former intern and the aftermath surrounding it.
Ms. Martinez is a role model for Asian Pacific Islander women. She has been working in San Francisco since 1994. She has worked very hard,