City councilor, DA candidate argues to move more funding to mental health

ED: WE HAVE REACHED THAT POINT IN THE PROGRAM WHERE WE REACH INTO THE POCKET AND PULL OUT THE POP QUIZ. YOU HAVE REALLY BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS. RICARDO: I AM TREATING THIS LIKE JEOPARDY. ED: WE NEED THE MUSIC, RIGHT? [LAUGHTER] LET’S START IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU LIVE IN HYDE PARK. IN THE 1960’S, HYDE PARK THREATENED TO SECEDE FROM THE CITY OF BOSTON. WHAT WAS THE ISSUE BEHIND THAT MOVE? THE OPTIONS ARE ON THE SCREEN. IS IT A, A PROPOSED MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON. B, A PROPOSED HIGHWAY THAT WOULD HAVE SPLIT THE NEIGHBORHOOD. OR C, A PROPOSED COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT. RICARDO: IT HAD TO BE C. IT WAS A HIGHWAY? FOR FULL REFERENCE I WAS BORN IN THE 1980’S. JANET: YOUR FATHER WOULD BE EMBARRASSED THAT YOU DID NOT KNOW THAT ANSWER. ED: IT IS A HIGHWAY. RICARDO: IT IS ALWAYS A HIGHWAY. ED: THERE YOU GO. THE FAMED MASSACHUSETTS 54TH REGIMENT WAS BASED IN HYDE PARK. DENZEL WASHINGTON WAS ONE OF THE STARS OF THE MOVIE “GLORY, ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR HEROES. WASHINGTON WON HIS FIRST OSCAR FOR HIS PERFORMANCE IN GLORY? IS THAT TRUE OR FALSE? RICARDO: HE SHOULD HAVE, SO I’M GOING TO GO WITH TRUE. ED: YOU HAVE GOT IT, IT IS TRUE. HERE IS QUESTION LET’S TRY CRIME THREE. TV. NICK WOLFF, YOU HAVE SEEN THE NAME ON THE SCREEN. HE IS THE CREATOR OF DOZENS OF SHOWS TIED TO LAW ENFORCEMENT – “LAW AND ORDER,” “FBI,” AND “CHICAGO PD” AND ON AND ON. YOUR QUESTION, IT IS A YES OR NO QUESTION. HAS HE EVER BASED A SHOW HERE, IN BOSTON? RICARDO: THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL BASED IN BOSTON THAT HAVE TO DO WITH LAW, SO I’M GOING TO GO WITH YES. ED: C, THE QUESTION WAS, AS HE BASED A SHOW HERE? AND THE ANSWER IS NO. HE HAS BEEN IN EVERY OTHER CITY WITH BOSTON. RICARDO: SO NOW I HAVE TO TAKE THAT UP WITH NICK WOLFF. [LAUGHTER] ED: RIGHT. YOU ARE A GRADUATE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS IN NORTH ADAMS. THE MASCOT OF THE SCHOOL IS A MOUNTAIN LION. SO HERE IS YOUR QUESTION. WHAT IS THE MOUNTAIN LION’S NAME? IS IT MURRAY, IS IT MURDOCK, IS IT MONTAGUE? RICARDO: MURDOCK IS THE NAME OF A HALL. I THINK IT IS MONTAGUE, BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE. ED: IT IS ACTUALLY MURDOCK. RICARDO: MURDOCK IS THE NAME OF A SCHOOL BUILDING. IT IS WHERE I TOOK CLASSES. I HAVE TO TAKE THAT UP WITH MCL I NOW. — MCLA NOW. JANET: THE GOOD NEWS IS, THE POP QUIZ IS OVER. NOW WE GO BACK TO ISSUES. RICARDO: NOW I’M GOING TO GET A CALL FROM MY ALMA MATER. JANET: GET A CALL FROM NICK WOLFF. YOUR FATHER, FOR SURE. LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT AN ISSUE THAT IS — HAS TAKEN OVER THE COUNTRY THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. THE NATIONAL OUTCRY FOR DEFUNDING THE POLICE HAS PUT MUCH SIMMERED TO A MURMUR. — PRETTY MUCH SIMMERED TO A MURMUR. WHERE DO YOU STAND ON CUTTING BOSTON’S BUDGET OR REALLOCATING THOSE DOLLARS TO OTHER COMMUNITY PROGRAMS TO DEAL WITH CRIME AND VIOLENCE IN THE CITY? RICARDO: I THINK IT IS INCREDIBLY IMPERATIVE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE CAUSES OF CRIME ARE, AND THE CAUSES ARE OFTEN A LACK OF RESOURCES. BECAUSE OF THAT I BELIEVE IN REALLOCATION FOR PUBLIC SAFETY DOLLARS TO GO TO PUBLIC SAFETY PROGRAMS, WHICH TO ME INCLUDE MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT, REHABILITATION SERVICES, JOB TRAINING, INC. THAT ACTUALLY MAKE OUR CITY SAFER IN A WAY THAT SHOULD REDUCE CRIME. BECAUSE THESE SYSTEMS NEED TO TAKE PLACE, YOU HAVE TO FIND THEM. BEST PLACE TO FUND THEM IS FROM PUBLIC SAFETY DOLLARS. JANET: DO YOU WANT TO PUT A DOLLAR FIGURE ON THAT? RICARDO: IN THE PAST WE HAVE ASKED FOR FUNDING — FOR INSTANCE IN 2020 WE MOVED TO $12 MILLION TOWARD MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT, TOWARD THE TEAM WITHIN THE BOSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT AND WORKS WITH MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. JANET: MORE NEEDS TO BE MOVED? RICARDO: I THINK MOORE DOES HAVE TO BE MOVED, BECAUSE EVERY YEAR WE SHOULD BE MAKING MOVES TO GRADUALLY INCREASE RESOURCES FOR THINGS LIKE FOLKS WHO GO OUT TO DEAL WITH MENTAL HEALTH CALLS, FOLKS WHO DEAL WITH ADDICTION OR SUBSTANCE USE CALLS. COOTS IN OREGON IS A GREAT EXAMPLE. JANET: $100 MILLION? RICARDO: I DON’T KNOW IF THAT IS RESPONSIBLE. JANET: $50 MILLION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT? RICARDO: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT OFTEN COMES BACK IS, IF YOU WANT TO HAVE FOLKS DO THIS WORK THEY HAVE TO BE SPECIALIZED AND TRAINED. JUST BECAUSE YOU MAKE THE MONEY AVAILABLE DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE THE PERSONNEL AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY SO I THINK THERE IS A RAMPING UP PROCESS. ED: MARKED AS COMMISSIONER? RICARDO: I THINK IT IS GOOD. I MET HIM, I OBVIOUSLY KNEW ABOUT HIS STORY FROM 1995. HAD NOT MET HIM UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN HE WAS APPOINTED. I AM ENCOURAGED BY THE CONVERSATION WE HAD. HE IS A TREMENDOUSLY GENTLE MAN. HE HAS A RUBBER TOSS TO HIM. — A GRAVITAS TO HIM. ED: YOU COME FROM A VERY WELL-KNOWN POLITICAL FAMILY. YOUR FATHER AND BROTHER WERE ONCE CITY COUNCILORS, LIKE YOU. YOUR DAD IS NOW SUFFOLK’S REGISTER OF PROBATE. YOUR BROTHER WORKED FOR FORMER MAYOR WALSH. SO, A LOT OF INTERCONNECTIONS THERE. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN THE SUBJECT OF HIGH-PROFILE CONTROVERSIES. SO WHAT HAS ALL OF THAT TAUGHT YOU, AND WERE THEY BOTH UNFAIRLY TARGETED? RICARDO: I DON’T WANT TO SPEAK INTO THOSE PARTICULAR MATTERS THEMSELVES, BUT WHAT I WILL SAY ABOUT MY FATHER IS, HE TAUGHT ME WHAT IT MEANT TO BE IN SPACES THAT OTHERWISE WE ARE NOT OTHERWISE REPRESENTED IN. AND NEVER HAD FEAR OF BEING IN ANY ROOM. AND NEVER HAD ANY FEAR I WASN’T ENOUGH. I NEVER HAD FEAR OF HAVING MY VOICE HEARD. THAT CAME FROM THE EXAMPLE MY FATHER SET FOR MAY. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN AN HONOR FOR ME HAS BEEN MADE FROM A FAMILY WHO HAS DEDICATED THEMSELVES TO PUBLIC SERVICE, THEY ALSO DON’T WANT TO ERASE MY MOTHER. MY MOTHER WAS A TEACHER FOR 35 YEARS, AND A LOT OF FOLKS DO NOT SEE HER BECAUSE HE IS NOT IN FRONT OF CAMERAS, BECAUSE — BECAUSE SHE IS NOT IN FRONT OF CAMERAS. I WOULD NOT BE WHO I AM IF NOT FOR THE IMPACT SHE HAS ON MY LIFE. I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR HER TO ALSO GET — ED: A TEACHER IN BOSTON? RICARDO: FOR 35 YEARS AND INSTILLED IN ALL OF US THIS SINCE WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO COMMUNITY SUCCESS. SHE MADE IT CLEAR THAT IF WE CAME BACK VERY SUCCESSFUL BUT IT WAS ONLY INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS SHE WOULD NOT CARE. JANET: HAS IT MADE YOU WARY OF BEING A POLITICAL TARGET? YOU HAVE MUCH MORE OF A CITYWIDE EXPOSURE? RICARDO: CERTAINLY. THOSE A CONVERSATION THAT AS A CHILD I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, JOURNALISTS USED THE NICKNAME “SUBTITLES” FOR MY FATHER. BECAUSE HE HAD AN ACCENT. I GREW UP WITH MY FATHER TARGETED BECAUSE HE WAS A MAN OF COLOR BREAKING BARRIERS. WHEN YOU ARE IN PUBLIC SERVICE YOU GIVE UP A CERTAIN LEVEL OF FREEDOM AND PRIVACY. BECAUSE OF THE ROLE YOU TAKE ON. I UNDERSTOOD INNATELY, BECAUSE OF THE WORK THEY DID THAT THE IMPACT IS WORTH IT, BUT THERE IS A PRICE. I AM ALWAYS WILLING TO PAY THAT PRICE IF I CAN DO GOOD IN THE ROLE I HAVE. ED: IT IS GOOD TO HAVE YOU IN THE CHAIR. YOU DO KNOW THIS IS EFFECTIVELY A PRIMARY RACE? RICARDO: ABSOLUTELY. ED: THERE IS NO OPPONENT IN NOVEMBER, SO THE WINNER — RICARD

OTR: City councilor, DA candidate argues to move more funding to mental health

Updated: 11:33 AM EDT Jul 31, 2022

Ricardo Arroyo tells On The Record that he believes public safety programs include mental health treatment, rehabilitation and job training.

NEEDHAM, Mass. —

Ricardo Arroyo tells On The Record that he believes public safety programs include mental health treatment, rehabilitation and job training.