What is The Scandal? 8/23/15

Caught BART out to 16th & Mission for Eliana Lopez's performance in "What is The Scandal?" Written by Lopez and her brother, this sometimes hilarious and heartbreaking one-woman show tells Eliana's own side of the story about events leading up to and following the arrest of her husband for spousal abuse. Her husband being the one San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, a former SF Supervisor--- tapped by the outgoing Sheriff as his heir apparent---who ran, won office, and ended up being blind sided by the handcuffs placed on him out of the blue shortly after being sworn into office. 

I said 'hello' to Mirkarimi who stood tall and tan outside the theatre before the show.  I made a point to speak to him again after the performance on my way up the aisle in tears and a bit non-plussed by Eliana's side of the story. Until now, these events sat filed away as a vague memory, their story cobbled together from local news coverage.

Eliana's story does more than suggest that she was silenced by the political machine pulling the strings against her husband --- alone with a toddler and living in a country not yet her own, helping her husband through the busy machinations of the election, once over, communication gaps widen between them as individual expectations conflict---Eliana's without real friends and becomes homesick after missing out on the usual joyful Christmas with her own family in Venezuela. This vivacious spirited and successful woman in her own right at home--- feels miserable. She wants to go home with the baby. As her storytelling unfolds, I concluded that Ross was afraid she'd take his son out of the U.S. and never return. 

The  Scandal . . .

Sitting in jail without the ability to communicate directly with his wife, Mirkarimi receives an ultimatum delivered in person by the Mayor. Eliana receives a call from her own attorney who pleads with her to take the baby and catch the next flight home to Venezuela --- he is fearful of Immigration Control's real or implied threat that she would be deported and never able to return. Go now before IC takes action. Eliana and infant son flee the U.S., the Sheriff is placed under a restraining order---at least six months pass until husband and wife are able to see or talk with one another.

In the meantime, Mirkarimi admits to spousal abuse (he grabbed her arm during a heated argument about her going to Venezuela while on the way to pizza at Delfina's---one of my favorite restaurants in The Mission). A neighbor of theirs befriends Eliana after the pizza night argument and video tapes Eliana's bruised arm, in case Eliana needs this for 'proof' later. The neighbor gives the video to the police at some point after Mirkarimi wins the election for Sheriff. Between the police and Mayor Ed Lee, the situation escalates as local media convicts our new Sheriff in the press. Eliana later writes a letter from Venezuela in which she says that she does not consider grabbing her arm as abuse, her letter is published in the SF Chronicle.

While Eliana positions the play as an immigration related story with a tie-in to abuse and cultural differences, the bigger story seems to be about what we've always known or suspected in SF politics. Mirkarimi himself admits that he kept waiting for what he understood the "system" process to be ---he expected it to work. It did not. He and his last attorney believe the political machine behind the Mayor were using Eliana to get to Mirkarimi. The Mayor and Mirkarimi's own troops didn't want him and still don't today. 

During a bit of pointed questioning by Mirkarimi's attorney at a meeting,  Mayor Lee allegedly sends a text to his people "Get me out of here". A few minutes later, a bomb alert goes off in the building and the Mayor is the only person escorted out of the room to safety. Mirkarimi is then reinstated after the Board of Supervisors vote to do so. On probation for the past three years until recently, Mirakirimi serves without carrying a gun, perhaps the only U.S. sheriff to do so.

Back together as a family, the couple attended therapy and moved from their Western Addition condo (and that next door neighbor) to The Mission District. 

You can't make up this story.

I would not have seen this show were it not for my friends Sherry and Ken who support Mirkarimi. Ken has worked with him before, filming news or other segments. Earlier this year, Ken and Sherry ended up shooting promo clips of "What is The Scandal?" at The Victoria Theatre and continue to support the show and want to help Mirkarimi in the next election. Sherry pulled together about 12 friends and family members for Sunday's performance and some of us went to dinner afterwards. We shared lively conversations about the play, the politics---one member of our party, a former  attorney to President Reagan even made a point to give his legal advice to Mirkarimi after the show. 

Mirkarimi continues to face smack downs. 

The recent July 1 tragic shooting of Kate Steinle on The Embarcadero by an illegal immigrant who was just released from the SF jail ---released without a phone call to our local Immigration Control department whose representatives say they had requested to be notified so they could deport the guy again---for like the fourth or fifth time. Mirkarimi responded that his department was not required to do so and based his position or understanding on current legal statute. The story made International news, the fallacies of Sanctuary City policy controversies exposed. Kate's Law will follow.

Senator Feinstein issued a statement, Mayor Lee issued a statement. The Mayor has not spoken to Mirkarimi in over three years, not once since the spousal abuse arrest scandal. Not once. The Mayor communicates to his Sheriff via memorandums and third party messengers. 

A news article later reported that the gun which killed Kate Steinle was government issued and stored in a backpack stolen out of a car parked on the city street. What government agent with the authority to carry a weapon leaves it in a parked car on the street.?! (I would have been fired for leaving my company's laptop secured in a car trunk or hotel room if it was stolen.)

Many of us remain appalled that our system is this broken and corrupt, it seems incomprehensible. I think we've lost our minds.