Meet Ricardo
Ricardo was born in Hyde Park, where he was raised by his parents Felix D. Arroyo, a former Boston City Councilor and the current Register of Probate for Suffolk County, and Elsa Montano, a retired Boston Public Schools teacher. From a young age his parents rooted in him a love of service and a responsibility to his community.
Those lessons led him to a career as a public defender at the Committee for Public Counsel Services. As a public defender he represented hundreds of individuals in our courts and witnessed how inequity, the lack of opportunity, and the marginalization of individuals can ravage lives. It was a desire to address those systemic ills that led him to run for the Boston City Council.
As a Boston City Councilor, Ricardo fights every day for those who are too often ignored. He led the fights to declare Racism a Public Health Crisis in Boston and to reallocate public safety dollars to programming for mental health, rehabilitation, and violence prevention. Ricardo understands that protecting civil liberties and promoting public safety are not mutually exclusive but complimentary. He has sponsored and passed the Surveillance Oversight Ordinance, the Facial Recognition Ban, and the Office for Police Accountability and Transparency.
Now Ricardo is running for Suffolk County District Attorney because he wants to build a justice system that protects the safety and dignity of all people. He is committed to a system that reduces racial and class disparities and holds people accountable while offering healing and restoration for victims.
Ricardo attended the Boston Public Schools and holds a B.A. in History from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago. He is a member of the National Lawyers Guild Massachusetts Chapter, Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, NAACP, and Mijente.
He currently resides in Hyde Park with his partner Jennifer and their two dogs Penelope and Gideon.