In my home country of Venezuela, I am Eliana Lopez. I am a person who is respected both personally and professionally. I am an actress. I am the mother of Theo by good fortune. And I am married to Ross Mirkarimi. But in San Francisco, I am known only as the sheriff’s wife.
Now that I have been home in Venezuela to be close to my father and family, I have been able to reflect on what has transpired over the last few months. I would like to share my experience with you.
Being in Venezuela for the last 20 years has been like completing a master’s degree in politics, with takeovers, and seeing the power of the media to both report and shape events. I have spent 10 years here working in a powerful media network. I know how the media can create and influence public opinion to justify political actions. I saw that from the inside in 2002, when the privileged class used the media to justify a takeover of a democratically elected president and appointed one of their own to lead our country. I am shocked to witness the same formula being applied to my husband. In Spanish it is Golpe de Estado (coup d’etat), and that is what is happening to Ross.
My husband and I had a very emotional misunderstanding about potential custody issues at a time when our relationship was struggling. I have never been afraid for my safety in the presence of my husband, or for the safety of my son. What I do fear is the mischaracterization of the events as a basis to remove my husband … >>>
