The Hernandez siblings were involved in a tense confrontation with a woman who yelled a question about Palestine at the congressional candidate at the end of a political gathering this month in Bisbee.
Scott Blades, co-founder of the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (TIHAN), posted a video to his Facebook page Tuesday morning showing state representative Alma Hernandez and her sister, state representative Consuelo Hernandez, arguing with a woman during a June 14 after-party, following the Bisbee Pride Parade.
Alma Hernandez can be heard in the video saying to a woman, βthis is unacceptable,β followed by Consuelo Hernandez who says βyou cornered me the last time I was here.β
The video ends abruptly once Daniel Hernandez, one of five Democrats hoping to win the congressional District 7 seat left vacant by the death of RaΓΊl Grijalva, put his hands in front of Bladesβ camera while he was recording the heated interaction.
On social media, Blades said Daniel Hernandez βgrabbed my phone from my hand and threw it down.β
Daniel Hernandez Jr., one of five Democrats seeking to represent Tucson in Congress, shoves his hand in front of cellphone camera during a confrontation between his sister, Arizona Rep. Alma Hernandez and a woman at a political event this month in Bisbee.
Blades did not want to elaborate on the confrontation beyond his social media post. In it, he said that as Daniel Hernandez left the stage a woman in the crowd βshouted out a question about Palestine,β which caused Alma Hernandez to start βscreaming at the woman from across the room,β Blades said.
βAlma then went over to where the woman was standing and they were yelling face-to-face. The organizers removed the woman from the audience ... and Alma followed her outside the hall, where the screaming match continued,β Blades said in his post. βDaniel HernΓ‘ndez was visibly angry and did not want me to record the incident and grabbed my personal cell phone from my hand and threw it down, telling me I could not record the interaction.β
Blades said the yelling continued, and after he began recording a second time Daniel Hernandez βagain grabbed my phone from my hand and threw it down. β
In a statement to the Star, Daniel Hernandez said the confrontation occurred during βan emotionally charged moment for me and my family.β
State representative Alma Hernandez and Daniel Hernandez, seen here earlier this month during a news conference after gunfire outside the family home in Tucson, were in a tense confrontation with a woman during a political gathering in Bisbee, video shows.
βJust two days after someone shot through a campaign stafferβs car outside our family home β and only hours after the horrifying murders of lawmakers in Minnesota β a community member initiated an altercation with my sister outside of a political event,β he said. βI regret how the moment unfolded, my only goal in this moment was to protect my family in a difficult moment, and to ensure everyoneβs safety.β
Two days earlier, a bullet shattered the window of a campaign stafferβs vehicle outside the Hernandez familyβs Tucson home, which also was used as his campaign headquarters, the Star reported.
Democratic candidates Adelita Grijalva and Deja Foxx also attended the Bisbee gathering.
Blades, a supporter of Grijalva, said in his post anyone in the same situation just days prior βwould be scared and concerned.β
βBut if you want to represent us in the U.S. Congress, you have to understand that the public has a right to record your actions in public and the people that you bring with you to political events,β he said. βI was shocked that a candidate for U.S. Congress would grab my personal property and tell me that I canβt record a public interaction at a campaign event.β
Alma Hernandez did not immediately respond Tuesday for comment.
