hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo, and today on our show, actress eliana lopez and her one-person performance. coming up right here on your "comunidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with a noble effort down here in the gilroy area, and it's an effort put on by several people, and it involves a cemetery there at st. mary's. with me here on "comunidad del valle" is debbie peevyhouse and connie rogers, who is the president of the gilroy historical society. did i say that correctly? connie rogers: yes, i am. damian: so, we have a couple of clips, and tell us, first of all, debbie, why this is a big deal, why we need to be drawing attention to this. debbie peevyhouse: well, because the history of santa clara county is buried there.

we have josé maría amador, for whom amador county is named. we have john gilroy, for whom-- damian: the problem is this is what the cemetery looks like right now. debbie: yes, this is what the cemetery looks like now. connie: and that's what we want it to look like. damian: and--so you mentioned the history of santa clara county is buried there. debbie: yes, it sure is. like i said, there's a lot of historical people. our roots are there. we need to preserve our roots. we need to preserve our heritage for future generations. and the reason for the fence is-- connie: well, it's located in an odd place off of three different alleys, so it's sort of out of sight, out of mind. but it is the oldest cemetery in gilroy that was established with the founding of the parish 150 years ago. so, it's probably one of the oldest cemeteries in our county. damian: now, was it just let go, or why-- how did it get into that condition? connie: well, i'm sure the church has a lot of demands on their money, and yes, partly it was neglected because it was out

of sight, out of mind, and it did not even have a sign on it saying what church it belonged to. it's about half a block away from the rest of the church property. damian: and debbie was talking about how the history of santa clara county is buried there, but if you will, as a president of the historical society, talk about the significance and why that's important to you as well. connie: well, yes. well, father hudson who started the parish is buried there, along with some nuns. actually, martin murphy jr. had a little chapel and cemetery in san martin, but the priest saw that the center of population was moving to gilroy, so he bought 15 acres of land and established the parish in gilroy in 1865. and 22 of the bodies from san martin were moved

into this cemetery in gilroy. so, we have john gilroy, that our town is named after, and father hudson, and josé maría amador, who had a mexican land grant in the san ramon valley. later, he went to gold rush country, and that's how come amador county got named after him. damian: there you go. and you started a gofundme site, right, to kind of help-- debbie: yes i did, to help raise funds to restore and beautify the cemetery. and we would like to get a 6 foot tall wrought iron fence to prevent homeless people and vandalism to go into the cemetery, in addition to the stuff that has already been done. we already removed garbage and overgrowth. we had the city of gilroy put four led lights. damian: you're basically trying to, again-- connie: we're trying to raise the image of the cemetery and

let people know how significant it is. one of the other very impressive graves was catherine o'toole murphy-dunne, who established a very elaborate grave with her first husband, and her second husband, and his first wife, and all of their children. damian: how fascinating! all: [laughing] connie: but she owned most of the land between morgan hill and hollister at one point. damian: well, let me show you that gofundme site in case you're all interested in helping out. there it is on your screen. any final thoughts before we let you all go? connie: well, we're really hoping for public support on this. there's a lot of interest. i do walking tours of the cemetery every fall. damian: at midnight? what time are your walking tours? connie: no, daylight tours. but there's, besides just members of the parish, there are many other people in the community who are concerned too.

damian: well, it's your chance to help preserve the history of santa clara county. thank you so much for what you're doing. debbie: thank you. damian: and up next here on "comunidad del valle" is actress eliana lopez right here in our studio. stay with us. looking for one of these? yoplait. smooth, creamy, and craved by the whole family.

scandal in the city that year. the system targeted me as victim, but ironically, the system didn't care about what the victim had to say. today, i will tell my story. damian: and she's here to tell her story. with us on "comunidad del valle" is actress and activist, i guess you can say, eliana lopez here on "comunidad del valle." bienvenido al programa. eliana: muchísimas gracias. thank you so much. damian: talk about--it's a one-woman performance that you're gonna be having on may 28th. tell us what it's about and why. eliana: well, this is a story. this is my story. this is my side of the story. i think, if you don't know, we were exposed, my family was exposed, and i was exposed in 2012.

i am the wife of the sheriff ross mirkarimi, the sheriff of san francisco. and that was the worst scandal of the year in 2012. damian: i remember, yes. eliana: yes. so, it was very hard for me because i was new in this country, as many latina immigrants, and with strong family values. and suddenly, my family was forced apart for, like, 6 months, and every time i tried to speak, like, "wait, i want to say my story, my side of the story," my voice was silenced, for different reasons, and it's something that we are going to talk about in the play. but that was, during that year, my family was in venezuela, so my dad is a theatre director. i grew up in theatre. and my brother is a director too, so they were always listening to me, trying to be with me, and telling me, "write.

write everything what is happening. keep record of everything, the newspapers, the interviews." and i did that. and took me 2 years to be able to, like, not get emotional, but try to see the experience and reflect about that. and we started to write the play, like, in 2014. we thought in the beginning, "well, we can do this play, like, in 2 or 3 months," and it took, like, a year to just write the script. because it's really--what we want to do is not propaganda. it's not, like, a comedy. we want to really reflect and give the human side of the story. and to go deep, you really need to do the work. and finally, we are in the last 3 weeks. we are going to have the opening night may 29th in the mission cultural center. they opened the doors to us and we are right there.

damian: is it--you know, because this is one of those cases, i guess, where maybe some families might be able to think, "well, this is kind of embarrassing. i don't want to talk about it anymore. i hope people forget about it." you're kind of the opposite. you wanna keep putting it out in the open because, like you said, you have a story to say. eliana: yes. you know, my parents, they were--my mom is an activist in her community in venezuela. and i remember, when i was in venezuela, i remember she telling me, "you have to stand up. you have to do the change that you want. you want to--you have to fight for your family. you have to--this is your son, this is your family, and even that now you don't feel habit, this is your country." and san francisco is my new home, so i embrace that and i say--and also, during that period, i discovered that it was really was not only my own story.

it was really the story of so many women and so many families that they were forced apart. they were discriminated. they were--their voice were silenced. and i think that someone needs to speak. my way is through theatre. others is through activism, others is through journalism, but my way is this. i grew up in theatre and this is how i reflect in my own experience. damian: and you want people at home, whoever comes to see the performance, what do you want them to kind of feel at the end, to go home with at the end? what message, maybe? eliana: this is a positive story. this is a story that was very misunderstood, was exploited, for several reasons that we are going to talk about that in the play. but i want people feel that we are all human beings. i'm just a woman. i am a mother, i am a wife, i am a latina immigrant.

now i am a citizen. i vote. but this is the story of a family with the good things and the bad things. we don't want to shy away for anything. i was in a process in 1 year, i remember in 2009, i become a mom, a new mom, a new wife, in a new country, in a new city, with a new language. so, it's so many things that you need to explore and you need to live to know, like, what it's about. and we explore that in the play, and how that adaptation process make impact in the family. and how this family, my family, my husband and i, we are still together. we face every challenge in 2012, and before, and now, today, 2015, we are together. my son is a big boy that he doesn't have any scars

for that very strong experience in 2012. but i think this is a positive story about get up and be together. damian: that's it. that's it. well, it's called "cuál es el escándalo?" "what is the scandal?" and it's coming. it's the 29th, you said, verdad? may 29th. i have 28th there, but it's may 29th. and there's the web address for more information. it's elianalopez.net. it's at the mission cultural center right there in san francisco. we'll be back and talk more about this new one-woman performance when we continue on "comunidad del valle." stay with us.

here in "comunidad del valle." and you were talking, during the break, about how, you know, why shouldn't we talk about--keep talking about this issue? why not expose it and let those who might be critical of it, let them be. but you feel it's important, that we have to get this out. eliana: as an artist, what an artist does, they take an experience from life and they transform it in a play,

in music, in--they paint. so, in my case, this is what i'm doing. i'm transforming this in an experience that we can all share as a community in the stage--on the stage. it's also important to say that i am doing the 12 characters of the show. so, it's just me in the stage--on the stage, dancing, jumping, being all the different characters. and that has been a very challenge that i think is very important, and i feel that thanks to that i was doing dance when i was little and all my training. i just starred my first show was with the national company of theatre in venezuela, and so many people doesn't know that really theatre is my life. so, i am there, like, with a team of--we are, like, maybe ten people of professionals in theatre, working in this show.

so, the work that you are going to see is a work of professional people, that they have years in theatre, working in theatre. so, it's not just like, "oh, she is now want to say--" no, no, this is a work of, really, a good team that is putting all their passion in this show. and what i wanted was starring in la misión. in the mission cultural center, they have this beautiful, small theatre, just 155 people. and i can be close to them. because i think-- yes, this is a very intimate story. i want to see their face. i want they see my face, my eyes. and that is how we are going to really to connect and reflect about something that we need to raise questions about the system. damian: now, you mentioned--is there something wrong with the system as it is now? because the system is there, or was put there by people who want to protect the victim.

but do you think that in protecting the victim, this system goes overboard and then silences the victim to a point where--obviously to a point where you feel you need to speak out? eliana: yeah, the system, the criminal justice system, is based--all the work is based on punishment of the offencer, but what about the victim? what about their voice? and what about the support that the victims need? i don't feel myself as a victim, but i feel that organizations that should be there to support victims, they have to really support their voice and their wishes. we cannot go from white to black. we have to realize that each case is a different experience. some women need support. some families need therapy. some families deserve to be together, not forcing apart. because trauma that the kids lives, that the kids

experience--and i have to say, for my own son who was in that moment just 2 years old, how hard it was for him to just one day, "daddy's not coming anymore." damian: well, and they say that this is intended to protect the victim, but you think there's a little overprotection then when they do that. eliana: yes, we cannot silence. and finally, in the last years, it's this new conversation about we are overreaching. maybe punishment is not the solution to the overincarceration that we are seeing in this country. damian: you know about that well, your husband being a sheriff. eliana: oh my gosh, yes, i know. and after this experience, we both learned a lot how families' reunification is so important. so, he learned in his work, but i learned in mine, as mother, what is my role, as a woman in the community, raising my voice and saying, "wait a moment. i am a woman of color, and i have my own voice, and i have my own wishes.

what is the scandal? why my voice is taken away?" damian: you don't need to let the system speak for you. you can speak for yourself. eliana: that's right. damian: finally, i see your facebook posts, and it's always you, and your child, and your husband smiling, playing en el parque outside, in your home, or whatnot. i mean, that's, i think, the life that we've all grown accustomed to since this happened is what is perceived to be happiness in your family. eliana: my lawyer, who was through this experience with me, the other day told me that she saw another person who said, "oh, in this case, the system worked." no. we were strong enough to survive the system, and that should be not the case. we were in love enough, we knew exactly what we wanted, and we survived. and i think we have to reflect what is the kind of system that we want so we don't make the same mistakes with other families. damian: that's very powerful. well, it's called, "cuál es el escándalo?" "what's the scandal?"

and it's going on actually for a couple of weekends. there is here web address. may 29th through june 7th. elianalopez.net. thank you so much for what you're doing and for speaking out for, maybe, those who are not able to. eliana: thank you so much. and i'll wait for you in the theatre. damian: you got it. all right, thank you. we will continue here on "comunidad del valle," the old music of mystique. stay with us.

looking for one of these? yoplait. smooth, creamy, and craved by the whole family. comunidad on "que pasa." [music] [music]

damian: and now, for those who are celebrating a special day, felicidades. [music] damian: and now, here is our e-mail address for next week's saludos. also, you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. also, pick up a copy of "el observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. we thank you, once again, for sharing a part of your sunday with us here on our show. we're gonna leave you now with some old music of mystique in memory of my good friend, ed villalba. [music] [music]

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welcome to the u.s. bank nbc sports report. here is your host, liam mchugh. >> good afternoon. we'll get to the amgen tour of california in just a second. but first, tennis' second major of the year, the french open, the players were in the final clay court tune-up, the italian o