Women’s Organization Applauds MRC Terminating Man Former Arizona Lawmaker Accuses of Sexual Assault / Slams John Gomez Campaign and Leaders Who Endorse Him For City Council

For Immediate Release

February 1, 2018

DeeDee Garcia Blase, Co-founder SOMOS INDEPENDENTS

Lydia Hernandez, Former Arizona State Representative

Women’s Organization Applauds MRC Terminating Man Former Arizona Lawmaker Accuses of Sexual Assault / Slams John Gomez Campaign and Leaders Who Endorse Him For City Council

Phoenix, AZ -- SOMOS INDEPENDENTS is a national organization led by Mexican American women who are Independent registered voters encouraging voting in our National and local elections.  It was unfortunate to see continued retaliation against Lydia Hernandez who is a former Arizona State lawmaker and woman who is a community leader less than a week later in December after going public against the person she claims sexually harassed her.  After we exposed the retaliatory efforts we feel were made by Dwight Amery in December, we were happy to learn that Mr. Amery was terminated from the Executive Director position of  Maryvale Revitalization Corporation (MRC).  However, it is unfortunate it took MRC years to act on this situation because Hernandez informed the President of the Board during that time. 

Even though Amery was terminated from MRC, we are still unhappy to see that the City of Phoenix has not yet acted to remove him from serving as Chairman of the City’s Maryvale Village Planning Committee particularly when the Arizona House expeled a lawmaker who was also accused of harassment recently. We are disappointed because recently the Phoenix Mayor issued his support for a zero tolerance policy statement and numerous women (not just Hernandez) have already come forward against Amery.     Since then, we have been informed there is an investigation taking place regarding the sexual harassment claims made by Hernandez.  Hernandez is currently in discussion with Gloria Allred who is a Women's Rights Attorney about her sexual harassment case against Dwight Amery. Hernandez finally made a formal police complaint with the City of Phoenix Police Department after weeks and several attempts to do so.  Apparently, a sexual harassment police report is considered a level 3 priority because the incident happened in the past.   Therefore, Somos Independents will make a formal request at the next Phoenix City Council Meeting to make it easier for women like Lydia to make sexual harassment claims with the Phoenix Police Department -- upgrading it to something that should require faster response and attention. 

Hernandez informed the Phoenix Police Department yesterday that she had turned to the Maryvale Phoenix Police Department Commander Hampton, who was also the Vice President of the Maryvale Revitalization Board immediately after addressing it with the President of the board.   Commander Hampton told Hernandez he did not know what to do but assured her that things would be addressed and resolved.   However, Lydia was terminated from the Maryvale Revitalization Corporation about a month and a half after coming forward to Commander Hampton and Diane McCarthy, former Arizona Corporation Commissioner and then President of the MRC Board.  

Women should be encouraged to continue to move forward with sexual harassment claims against their sexual predators and we are happy the #MeToo movement is giving women the courage they need to address their accuser.  We believe the women of Phoenix should not support John Gomez in 2018 who is running for Phoenix City Council District 5 because we believe Mr. Amery has not yet stepped down as his campaign manager nor has that information become official.   We noticed that the Gomez campaign scrubbed Amery name from his website, however, we have not been notified whether Amery has resigned from his campaign.  Dwight Amery was a volunteer for the Republican Party and was the former GOP Precinct Committeeman Chair for LD 13 and 29.    Amery was also the West-MEC governing school board President at the time.  

If John Gomez does not make it clear that Amery is no longer serving as his campaign advisor, we will ask the below leaders to withdraw their endorsement of Gomez for City Council District 5:

Lydia Hernandez, former Arizona State Representative states:

Our nation has been moved to action recently in support of courageous women that have come forward to address very serious and delicate issues of rape, unsolicited, inappropriate and forceful touching that had been hushed for centuries.  Women are uniting in the effort to disclose, educate, hold accountable their aggressors to change a culture that has dominated and controlled women thru sexual assault, intimidation and abuse.  We need to continue to support and hold accountable the abusers and those that have enabled them to prey by remaining quiet and brushing the complaints under the rug.  We are not able to create change by remaining silent.  This is a time for accountability and leadership.  Real leadership, the kind that is not afraid to address issues even when the language is uncomfortable.  I deeply admire and respect our Arizona state legislators that are setting the tone for a “zero tolerance” sexual harassment policy at the state capitol.  On the same note, I ask any woman that has been a victim of sexual harassment, assault or abuse to come forward – particularly if they have been victimized by Dwight Amery, former Executive Director of MRC.