Domestic Violence

Yoshiaki Nagaya, Japanese Diplomat, Admits to Beating His Wife

The Japanese diplomat based in San Francisco who was accused of beating his wife repeatedly during their two-year-marriage appeared in court today where he reportedly pleaded no contest, which is the same as pleading guilty for felony cases. Yoshiaki Nagaya, 33, was has been charged with two count ... More >>

Petition Circulates Asking Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi to Resign

An organized recall effort might have fizzled a bit, but the desire to see Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi booted from office is still very much alive. Anti-Ross folks launched a petition today demanding the embattled sheriff voluntarily step down from his post as the county's top cop. Backers say they are ... More >>

Mayor Ed Lee Is Still Ignoring Sheriff Mirkarimi's Letter

So much for mending fences. Ed Lee, the consensus building mayor, has yet to respond to a letter Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi sent him two weeks ago outright refusing to recuse himself from domestic violence matters. Mirkarimi's letter details his response to both the mayor and District Attorney George ... More >>

Facebook Page Created for Women Who Don't "Like" Ross Mirkarimi

Ross Mirkarimi is quickly settling back into his post as sheriff, registering inmates to vote, and generally trying to get everyone to forget about his nine-month political and family drama with his wife. But Erica Sedlander, a UC Berkeley graduate student, isn't letting the sheriff off so easy; she ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi Gets His Job Back

Ross Mirkarimi got his badge back last night after the Board of Supervisors reinstated him as San Francisco's sheriff. After several hours of public testimony, the board voted 4-7 to give Mirkarimi his job back, claiming the bruise he gave his wife did not amount to official misconduct. Supervisors ... More >>

Eric Mar Pushed Domestic Violence Resolution -- on Eve of Ross Mirkarimi Vote

Next week, the political circus is coming to town. The Board of Supervisors will vote on the fate of Sheriff-in-Limbo Ross Mirkarimi, who grabbed his wife's arm in a domestic violence incident. You might think it would be odd, then, to introduce a resolution relating to Domestic Violence Awareness M ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi: New Poll Shows S.F. Doesn't Want Him As Sheriff Anymore

Ross Mirkarimi has consistently said that everyone against him is undermining the will of the people, specifically the people who voted him into office in November. But now it's those very people who seem to think he's undermining them. According to a new poll, roughly 61 percent of registered voter ... More >>

Vincent Calvarese, S.F. Sheriff's Deputy Charged With Domestic Violence, Appears in Court

Lieutenant Vincent Calvares, the sheriff's deputy charged in a domestic violence incident, appeared in court yesterday where he pleaded not guilty to charges of domestic violence, assault, and false imprisonment. SF Weekly broke the story on Tuesday that Calvares had been arrested last week and char ... More >>

Harvey Milk Club Asks Mayor Ed Lee to Leave Ross Mirkarimi Alone Already

Turns out, Tami Bryant and the inmates over at San Francisco County Jail aren't the only ones who want everyone to leave Sheriff-in-limbo Ross Mirkarimi alone.  The Harvey Milk Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club this week passed a resolution demanding Mayor Ed Lee let Mirkari ... More >>

Vincent Calvarese, Sheriff's Deputy, Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges

An alleged domestic violence incident at the Gold's Gym on Market Street concluded with police arresting a sworn Sheriff's Deputy, who was charged with assault and false imprisonment. Lieutenant Vincent Calvarese was arrested Thursday evening at the 2301 Market Street gym. District Attorney spokeswo ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Hearing: Suspended Sheriff Testifies Before Ethics Commission

Sheriff-in-limbo Ross Mirkarimi took the stand Thursday evening in his official misconduct hearing, where he again expressed remorse for his "act of violence" against his wife on New Year's Eve.  As expected, Mayor Ed Lee's legal team took the opportunity to dig into Mirkarimi's conviction for ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Hearing: "Ross Is A Victim as Well," Wife Claims in E-mail

Ross Mirkarimi's wife, Eliana Lopez, filed a declaration today for the suspended sheriff's official misconduct hearing. The statement, her first under oath since the couple's Jan. 1 domestic dispute spurred a criminal investigation, explains in detail what she has been saying publicly all along: Her ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Hearing: The Drama From the Eyes of Mirkarimi's iPhone

Ross Mirkarimi's text messages with his wife and campaign manager reveal a more personal side to the drama that has unfolded ever since his Dec. 31 domestic dispute, for which he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor false imprisonment.Publicly released yesterday as evidence in Mirkarimi's Ethics Commission ... More >>

Another Civil Servant Accused of Domestic Violence

A Japanese diplomat based in San Francisco has been accused of not being so diplomatic when he allegedly beat his wife repeatedly, pushed her out of a car, and knocked her tooth out. According to press reports, 32-year-old Yoshiaki Nagaya, a San Bruno resident, appeared in court yesterday to answer ... More >>

How the Sheriff Came to This: Mirkarimi's Worst Decisions

Domestic Violence Groups Feature Ross Mirkarimi Quote in Spanish Billboards

​It doesn't matter how many times Ross Mirkarimi apologizes for his "arrogance and anger issues," women in San Francisco aren't ready to forgive -- or forget. And it will be hard for the now-suspended sheriff to forget his troubles as long as there are these billboards up to remind him of what he' ... More >>

Mayor Ed Lee Suspends Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, Files Misconduct Charges

​Mayor Ed Lee officially charged Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi with misconduct today, stating the elected official's conduct "is fundamentally incompatible with holding the Office of Sheriff."Lee  took a kitchen sink approach with the charges, rattling off several ways in which Mirkarimi's actions a ... More >>

Domestic Violence Groups Ask Mayor Ed Lee to Boot Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi from His Post

​Prosecutors might have let Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi off the hook with charges of abusing his wife, but women's groups across San Francisco aren't quite so ready to forgive. Today, a coalition of anti-domestic violence groups will march to City Hall, demanding that Mayor Ed Lee boot Mirkarimi from h ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi: Dead Politician Walking

​Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's belated decision to accept a plea deal ends the increasingly lurid trial surrounding his alleged New Year's Eve manhandling of his wife. If Mirkarimi is hoping to keep any further testimony regarding who's been hiding whose panties in his house or affidavits question ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Trial: Wife's Video Displaying Bruises Admissable in Court

​A Judge ruled this morning that the video Sheriff  Ross Mirkarimi's wife made with a neighbor detailing the sheriff's alleged physical abuse will be allowed as evidence. This, of course, is a huge victory for the prosecution, which has stated that without this scathing video -- which reveals ... More >>

Domestic Violence Billboard with Ross Mirkarimi Quote up for Everyone to See

You might notice a new billboard on the corner of Harrison and 10th streets during your commute today -- you may even recognize a face on it. A local domestic violence group unveiled its new Ross Mirkarimi-inspired billboard Thursday afternoon, which references Sheriff Mirkarimi's disturbing quote ... More >>

Domestic Violence Billboard Featuring Mirkarimi Quote to Go Up Next Week

​If ever there were a clear indication of how San Franciscans feel about Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's domestic violence case, this is it. In less than a week, a local domestic violence group was able to rake in the $4,000 it needed for a billboard that will feature Mirkarimi's infamous quote he uttere ... More >>

Domestic Violence Group to Feature Ross Mirkarimi Quote on Billboard

La Casa De Las Madres​When Ross Mirkarimi was elected sheriff, he had ambitious plans to influence the criminal justice system, although this billboard to the right probably isn't what he had in mind. However, after being charged with battery, endangering a child, and dissuading a witness, La Casa ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi's Lawyer: Sheriff Is "Bit of a Tyrant"

​If Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi was hoping to recast himself as a loving husband as part of his defense against domestic violence charges, his attorney, Robert Waggener, isn't doing anything to help paint that picture.  As the Chron notes today, Waggener, in front of a throng of cameras and report ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi's New Domestic Violence Complaint Could Loom Large in Pending Trial

​It's most certainly bad news for Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi that the question "Which one?" now applies to domestic violence complaints filed against him. And though the police report filed over the weekend by a woman accusing Mirkarimi of shaking her and pinning her against the wall comes years ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Update: Sheriff Goes "Ballistic" During Fight with Wife, Warrant Says

​Police Interview Second Witness In Domestic Violence Incident A copy of Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi's arrest warrant was released to the media today, painting a disturbing picture of what allegedly took place between Mirkarimi and his wife, Eliana Lopez, during a reported New Year's Eve domestic dispu ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Update: Domestic Violence Groups Call on Sheriff to Resign

​Update 2:25 p.m.: Staff writer Joe Eskenazi was at City Hall and gave us a puzzling detail about this afternoon's press conference: Mirkarimi's wife, Eliana Lopez, stood in the crowd among reporters and anti-domestic violence advocates who were calling on her husband to resign as sheriff. Eskenaz ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi's Wife Attends Anti-Ross Mirkarimi Rally

​A hastily assembled press conference pairing members of the media with greater numbers of anti-domestic violence advocates calling for the resignation of Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi was graced by an odd visitation -- Mirkarimi's wife. Eliana Lopez stood, literally, on the steps of City Hall with membe ... More >>

Ross Mirkarimi Shocks Legal Scholars With Claim That Abuse Allegations Are "a Family Matter"

​Ross Mirkarimi is innocent. Of course he is -- he is innocent until proven guilty. It remains to be seen if District Attorney George Gascón will even  charge the sheriff with domestic abuse following a police report filed by Mirkarimi's neighbor. Regardless, the language Mirkarimi has used ... More >>

S.F.P.D. Officers Finally Have E-Mail, But Department Still Lags in Tech

In San Francisco, Elder Abuse Is the Perfect Crime

Yes, that's a crime​If you rob or beat up an elderly person in San Francisco, your chances of being convicted are fewer than one in 100, according to data in a recent city report on how local law enforcement addresses family violence."It couldn't be better if you're a predator," said Prescott Cole ... More >>

SF Weekly Letters

California Family Courts Helping Pedophiles, Batterers Get Child Custody

Fiona Ma Targets Domestic Violence Among Teens

Nothing glamorous about violence.​What we know about the 2009 gang rape of a Richmond High School student at prom is that it's not an isolated event. Domestic violence among teens is on the rise, and Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) is attempting to draw attention to this disturbing trend. ... More >>

Moby Donates Cali Revenue to Domestic Violence Shelters

​Moby has to be one of the world's richest DJs--all those years licensing Play to every audio and visual outlet possible literally paid off. So when he hits the road now, he can choose to make his money count--by, for example, donating big chunks of it to needy non-profits.When the bald producer h ... More >>

Givin' Back to Cali

Asylum for Battered Women -- a Question Raised by a San Francisco Case a Decade Ago -- Gets Obama Administration as an Advocate

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has paved the way for battered women from countries where such abuse is widely accepted to be granted asylum in the United States. The DHS declared its opinion in a court filing of an asylum case of a Mexican woman only referred as L.R., who was denied by a ... More >>

News You Can Use: No, Virginia, There Is No Increase in Domestic Violence on Super Bowl Sunday

Put on a shirt and keep your hands to yourself!Every year around this time, you hear two sickening things about the Super Bowl: A nationwide halftime stampede to the toilet overwhelms local sewage plants;A nationwide orgy of beer-drinking and high-stakes football induces a cavalcade of domestic viol ... More >>

Jury Acquits Man Who Bit Partner's Forehead

On November 11, the San Francisco Police Department responded to a call from a gay man who said his partner had abused him. When police arrived and found Bejamin Schalit, 50, with crescent-shaped bite marks on his forehead, they arrested the partner, Jeremy Womack, 33, and the district att ... More >>

Politics didn't play into decision not to prosecute domestic violence case, DA says

Home Life in Hell

An abusive marriage crumbles to pieces in the riveting Take My Eyes

Best Batterer Betterer

Hamish Sinclair

Founder, Manalive

The Last Hope

A new law gives one more chance at freedom to abused women sent to prison for killing their batterers

General Excellence

Groundbreaking programs at San Francisco General Hospital may well change the way the entire U.S. health care system deals with domestic violence. To understand why, you have to understand Dr. Beth Kaplan.

Shelter from the Storm

Should the U.S. give asylum to victims of domestic violence? A Mission District woman's case may help decide that question.

Letters to the Editor

Got It; Got It; Didn't Get It; Female Cracker Morons Who Maim; Ounce of Prevention; Our Apologies, John; The Oddest Clarification We've Published This Year

The Land of Blood & Money

Foreign workers coming into the country for high-paying tech jobs often bring wives with them. When these women are beaten and abused, they have nowhere to run.

Cothran

Aisle Seat