Originally at: http://www.zennie62blog.com/2012/06/18/ross-mirkarimi-interview-with-sf-sheriff-suspended-due-to-claim-of-domestic-violence-33402/
Ross Mirkarimi, the long-time San Francisco progressive politician who, after being termed out as District Five Supervisor, was elected to be San Francisco's Sheriff, only to be suspended from his job, by court stay-away order separated from his wife Eliana Lopez (who moved to her native home Venezuela January 13th, 2012), and all after an New Year's Eve day argument that turned violent enough for Lopez to approach a neighbor named Ivory Madison for assistance. After two months of back-and-forth texts, Ross agreed to meet me for a wide ranging interview conducted at the Royal Ground Coffee Cafe at 2060 Fillmore Street in San Francisco's Pacific Heights on Father's Day.
As a note, Ross is a friend of mine, but the issue is extremely serious, so I worked to strike a balance -- get to the core matters of concern without harming someone who's psyche has already been badly damaged. So those looking for a video where I trap and demoralize Mirkarimi can look elsewhere; but an intelligent listener will pick up a lot from our talk. What follows is essentially a transcribed version of the video.
Zennie Abraham, or "Me": Ross Mirkarimi. Was elected Sheriff; now suspended. But for those who don't know the story, say in Bangladesh, tell them who you are.
Ross Mirkarimi: The few people who don't know this story. I'm Ross Mirkarimi. I am honored and proud to have been a supervisor, a City and County Supervisor, for seven years representing District Five. And then Last November, I was elected sheriff at the same time when Ed Lee was elected Mayor and George Gascon was elected district attorney. It was the first time in 25 years that anybody progressive had been elected to a city wide office. And so this really perked up eyebrows and ears by our victory last November against a hotly contested race of several other opponents. And we really started to make our mark early on -- once leading up to that race, and taking office.
Me: "Now, tell my viewers, in your words, what happened on New Years's Eve night."
Ross Mirkarimi: "Actually December 31st New Year's Eve day. Where my wife and I were heading this direction for lunch actually (we were on Fillmore and California Streets and Ross pointed behind and to his right, or left) to a place where they don't take reservations, Delfina's Pizza over here (at 2406 California Street). (I explained to Ross that my choice of meetup place was totally coincidental.) It was New Years's Eve, they don't take reservations, and we were quarreling and we were with our them two-and-a-half-year-old son Theo -- beautiful little boy.
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