NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: As this edition went to the printer, the first independent Sheriff ever elected in modern San Francisco, Ross Mikarimi was facing a judicial trial for a personal brawl he had with his wife, in which she suffered a bruise in one of her arms – an event that should have been dealt by family counselor.
His main Prosecutor is no other than a political enemy of his, who, to the eyes of many has found a perfect window for revenge – in the name of a Democratic political machine that has controlled almost all of the most important government institutions for several decades, and to which the new Prosecutor owes his political elevations to power in SF.
I found this interesting article which reflects a cruel reality of how those who pretend to be doing a common good in helping some, in fact might be doing more harm to others instead. You, the reader, judge for yourself whether all the publicity focused on this family was done for a good or an evil purpose, in the name of good.
by W.F. Price
Ross Mirkarimi, San Francisco sheriff-elect, was arrested about a week ago following an argument with his wife, during which he allegedly grabbed her arm. Following the argument, a neighbor videotaped Mirkarimi’s wife, and then called the police, leading to the arrest. However, this was not just your standard nosy neighbor, but rather a bona-fide feminist named Ivory Madison, who has headed the San Francisco chapter of NOW. Additionally, she knew Mirkarimi and his wife personally, and actually campaigned for Mirkarimi during his run for Sheriff.
Before Marrying Mirkarimi, Eliana López was a Venezuelan telenovela star. She is a recent immigrant to the U.S., having lived here for only a few years. It’s unlikely that she really understands the implications of American DV law. Like many women who get caught up in these incidents, she probably didn’t understand how consequential it can be in the US to get someone else involved in one’s marriage, but it seems that she did at least realize that involving the police would be a bad idea, and urged Ms. Madison to withhold the video, which ultimately proved futile, as the police easily obtained a warrant based on the 911 call.
Now, Mirkarimi faces three misdemeanor charges, and his career hangs in the balance. His entire family could well end up disgraced in San Francisco, and his wife’s stock in local society will drop dramatically. Now that the implications have sunk in, she is insisting that her husband is not abusive and that the incident was “taken out of context.” Unfortunately, however, she initially put her faith in a feminist, and if there’s anything a feminist knows how to do it’s destroy men and their marriages. If a woman also suffers as a consequence, well, “you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette…”
Plenty of people are asking why a woman would stay with “an abusive man.” First of all, nobody knows whether Mirkarimi even committed domestic violence under our laws. He’s been charged, but not convicted. Secondly, this could well have been a very minor incident of mutual violence, e.g. his wife made a scene, got physical, and he restrained her by grabbing her arm. However, under current law this would still imply guilt for one party or the other — any physical contact whatsoever in the context of anger or annoyance is a crime. In the overwhelming majority of the world’s cultures, such incidents are not considered police matters, but thanks to people like Ivory Madison the cops will be in your home ready to throw people in jail minutes following such an allegation.
Having grown up in a neighborhood that had its share of dysfunction, I learned this lesson early. I’d hear a woman fighting with her husband or boyfriend (typically she was the more aggressive party), and soon enough cops would show up and haul the guy out in cuffs, the triumphant woman standing proudly on the porch with her hands on her hips. Knowing the score probably saved my bacon in my own divorce, as I knew exactly what to expect if I let myself get drawn into any physical altercation with a female. Here in the states you can safely cheat on your wife, betray her or give her AIDS, but God forbid you push her away when she’s screaming in your face.
Because he enlisted the support of feminists in his campaign, it’s mighty hard to feel sorry for Mirkarimi. Additionally, as a sheriff, he is personally involved in the enforcement of the draconian laws that resulted in his own arrest. He’s like the KGB officer who ends up in Lubyanka. Not an enviable position, but one in which there is some inherent justice at work.
Mirkarimi’s hapless wife and innocent child are the real victims in this case, but it is the law and her feminist neighbor that have hurt them the most, not the husband. As a Venezuelan, Eliana López probably had no idea this could come about. She never would have expected that her neighbor would destroy her husband’s career over what she sees, from her own cultural context, as an inconsequential domestic squabble — one that she may have started herself without understanding the implications.
Finally, I strongly suspect that some envy was at work here. Ivory Madison, a woman who is obviously full of herself, must have resented the hot Latina married to the handsome politician. What better way to take that foreign bitch down a notch or two than to wreck her husband’s career?
