To Make Women Safe, We Treat Them Like Children

The domestic-violence case against San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi did not start with a call from wife Eliana Lopez or neighbors who heard a fight getting out of control at the family's home on New Year's Eve. It started with a Jan. 4 phone call to police from a friend and neighbor, Ivory Madison, whom Lopez had visited on New Year's Day. According to a police affidavit, Madison videotaped Lopez crying and showing a bruise on her upper right arm, caused, Lopez said, by her husband's grabbing her.

Last month, District Attorney George Gascon filed misdemeanor charges against Mirkarimi for domestic violence battery of his wife, child endangerment and dissuading a witness, his wife. At the time, I questioned whether San Francisco wants to throw the full weight of the law to prosecute a man accused of bruising his wife's arm.

I appreciate that Gascon is in a difficult position. Bay Area Legal Aid staff attorney Minouche Kandel noted that Mirkarimi is the "chief law enforcement officer of the sheriff's office" and that he carries a gun. (Actually, the sheriff surrendered his gun when he was charged.) Kandel believes that the DA has an obligation to make sure that "a person in a position of authority with a gun is not abusing that power in their home." Besides, if Gascon did not file charges, there would have been an uproar.

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