A group of San Jose politicians allegedly participated in an inflammatory text thread with a disgraced colleague that included racial slurs and derogatory remarks.
San Jose Spotlight reports law enforcement sources say the participants in the text thread, which included council members and community leaders, made the remarks while discussing city meetings and public business.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People are calling for the texts to be released and demanding transparency.
The group chat was discovered when authorities seized ex-Councilmember Omar Torres' phone during an investigation related to child sex crimes.
The conversation included Torres and his former allies, including Council members Domingo Candelas, Peter Ortiz and others.
According to sources, the group text thread contained messages allegedly including the n-word. They also referred to Mexicans as "scraps," the latter of which is a slang term used to refer to Southern California gang members.
