On July 17, 2012, the Harvey Milk LGBT Dem Club, passed a resolution in support of the Mirkarimi family which I share with you below. I'm including comments I made last night after the hearing in an event created to support them, it is named "Yo le creo a Eliana - I believe Eliana"
Finally, Eliana is having her opportunity of telling her side of the story, this is something that San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, the Distric Attorney George Gascon, the City Attorney Dennis Herrera, didn't want to let it come out, they were terrified that their whole filthy, dirty, corrupt political lynching of an duly elected official be exposed to the general public. Well, it is out now and more people are seeing what we have seen from the beginning, what Ms. Linnetta Peralta Haynes referred as sounding 'fishy' and that the "United Parents Committee" Calls "A political lynching"
Finally, the victim who never was a victim until she was victimized using our social institutions against her. Is, literally, claiming for herself her constitutional and the God-given Respect she deserves as an intelligent adult person, and her Right to self-determination, and all the cacareada 'pursuit of happiness' close to an Absolute Right and related stuff.
Did you noticed how what Eliana said about the 'power' of her husband went over Mr. Keith's head? Most likely is that he knew that Eliana was crushing, one by one, his best shots. She was great! Strong, calm, measured but was scoring important points. Ross was powerful as Eliana said, 'as an American' WOW, that is precisely what Lupita Siordia, Silvia Ramirez, all of you, myself and so many many many others have been saying, that there are horrific stories going on in a daily basis, the story that Eliana told, is repeated thousands and thousands of times and is largely ignored by the media. The institutions are separating families, taking children from their parents and putting them up for adoption. No scandal here, they are just immigrants. Move along.
WOW, what a day. We will see how tomorrow goes. But I think that Mr. Keith just burned his very best shots in an exercise in futility, personal embarrasment for him and it was a devastating blow to the Mayor's case against the Sheriff. Their circus is coming down faster that they could have imagined. The Mayor made a huge, humongous mistake.
In the event you may have the links to see video of the hearings, here they are:
By the way, the Planning Commission video of today's hearing is up. A MUST SEE, you have to hear Linnetta and Eliana testify, they kicked ass big time and in such a soft manner, specially Linnetta, A MUST SEE. Here is the link.
http://sanfrancisco.granicus.com/...
In case you want to watch other hearings http://www.sfgovtv.org/ and here is the streaming channel if you want to see Eliana's testimony tomorrow http://www.sfethics.org/...
A wise saying goes like 'if you don't have anything good to say about someone' or something like that, it continues 'don't say anything at all', fine, all I'll say for now is that I'm thinking of certain anti-domestic violence non-profit organizations
Lessons in honesty, integrity, empathy, sympathy and just the basic concern for the well being of a fellow human, able to listen, to just be there for someone else, and above all, to reason in moments of great stress, is what Linnetta Peralta Haynes gave us today. It was 'her calling', Linnetta said.
Thank you Linnetta, thank you so much for bringing a feeling of sanity into the Emperor wannabe, Mayor Lee's, tragicomical (sic) circus-like operetta.
If the Mayor had any honor or a scintilla of shame, or at least a sense of decency, he should resign.
But before he goes and before the door does hit him where the good Lord split-ed him, he has to withdraw his complaint against the Sheriff, reinstate him to the post he was elected to serve with full back pay and a profound apology. The he can leave. -- and if you ask me, taxpayers shouldn't pay for His Honor's indiscretion, hence, payment should not be at his discretion, in all justice and fairness, it should come out of his pocket.
I love you all. We continue to make head way. We all know, we must continue the pressure to put a stop to all that madness.
Resolution in Support of Justice for Eliana Lopez, Ross Mirkarimi, and Theo Mirkarimi by the Harvey Milk LGBT Dem Club
Passed 7/17/12
Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi’s removal from office has triggered a serious discussion on issues ranging from a political figure’s legal accountability for his or her transgressions, to unscrupulous dismissals, political opportunism, and female disempowerment. We at the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club are committed to justice for Eliana Lopez, Ross Mirkarimi, and their son Theo Mirkarimi. The current process as it stands now gives us no confidence that this will take place: Over the past several months, Eliana Lopez’s wishes have been blatantly disregarded, and opportunities for Ross Mirkarimi to come to terms with his behavior and the after-effects of his actions have been compromised at the altar of political spectacle.
The legal process governing domestic violence aims to hold the abuser accountable for his or her acts of violence, requiring, among other things, classes in violence reduction and anger management. We believe that this process has been deliberately misused in the case of Ross Mirkarimi and Eliana Lopez. District Attorney George Gascón has piled on inappropriate charges, evidence was made public against the will and without the consent of Eliana Lopez in a wide variety of media outlets, and Sheriff Mirkarimi was wrongfully suspended from his job without pay.
Eliana Lopez may have had marital problems in her life, but this does not give the Mayor, the courts, prosecutors, the media, or a handful of anti-domestic violence advocates the power to erase her agency as a human being. What started out as a domestic dispute has devolved into a raw attempt to unseat an independent political figure, resulting in a sustained campaign to humiliate Eliana and her family.
The Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club strongly opposes domestic violence of any kind and firmly believes in honoring women’s rights and voices. We believe the circumstances surrounding Sherriff Mirkarimi and his family were appropriately addressed in the courts. And Mayor Lee’s egregious politicization and fiscal irresponsibility on this issue diminishes the seriousness of domestic violence and disrespects the expressed wishes of Eliana.
Ross Mirkarimi has consistently advocated for funding domestic violence response programs, programs protecting the rights of women, services for the homeless and other vulnerable populations, and demonstrated a commitment to serving his community. In this light, we feel he has been unjustly targeted. We also believe it is critical that he be given the opportunity to serve as Sheriff, per the will of the voters who elected him in November of 2011.
Therefore, the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club strongly supports the opportunity for Ross Mirkarimi to demonstrate accountability for his actions and for his family to receive restorative justice, something which they have been denied up to this point.
Furthermore, Mayor Lee and all associated parties must offer a public apology to Eliana Lopez for her systematic disempowerment and for nullifying her rights as an individual.
We call on the members of the Ethics Commission and the Board of Supervisors to oppose the removal of the duly-elected Sheriff of San Francisco.
We demand that Mayor Lee reinstate Sheriff Mirkarimi and restore his full back pay. And in order for Eliana to once again regain her voice, the Mayor’s Office must reimburse her travel back to San Francisco so that she can testify in her own right before the Ethics Commission.
We demand that the District Attorney rigorously investigate the possibility that Mayor Lee has committed perjury in this matter, with the same amount of vigor shown in his investigation of Sheriff Mirkarimi.
We urge all parties involved in this situation to reflect on the current state of advocacy for the victims of domestic violence and to improve the system so that meaningful justice can be sought by all survivors (regardless of immigration status, economic disadvantages, gender, or political affiliation) without fear that political opportunism, media exploitation, or a hijacked legal process will jeopardize their rights.
This resolution is put forth by longtime LGBT activists, feminists, social justice advocates, survivors of domestic violence, and members of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club of San Francisco.
Posted by: Tom Taylor Of the FaceBook Group: LGBT Against Stop & Frisk and Racial Profiling
Extras
Other efforts:
Sign the Petition to the Mayor & Board of Supervisors in Support of Ross
Related info:
"The Power Broker" By Elizabeth Lesly Stevens, Washington Montly, City Report, Fog City Journal, Daily Kos, Google Search
To write letters to The Editor:
SF Chronicle, SF Examiner, SF Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, Bay Area Reporter.
For your neighborhood publication (El Reportero, Westside Observer, Sunset Beacon, El Tecolote, etc.) check their letters page and/or website for contact information. Almost all newspapers (and radio and television stations) also accept comments on their web site. Join those discussions as well.