Debate: Suffolk County District Attorney (Hayden v. Arroyo)

The race to be Suffolk County’s District Attorney got a lot messier on Tuesday, 23 August with the Boston Globe (and other outlets) reporting on a 2005 sexual assault charge involving challenger Ricardo Arroyo. There seem to be two different allegations with two different women. Arroyo denies any wrongdoing and at least one of the women seemed unimpressed with the messaging on the case, per the Globe:

”I did not speak to Arroyo because like I told you earlier I do not associate any assault from my youth with Ricardo,” she wrote. “For clarity purposes. Ricardo arroyo did not assault me ever. I do not know who did or what happened.”

Read the Boston Globe article. Also, read the articles (here and here) about Kevin Hayden’s alleged mishandling of police misconduct cases.

The District Attorney race used to be about experience vs. social justice. Kevin Hayden was the establishment guy that was willing to look the other way, while Ricardo Arroyo was campaigning from a moral high ground.

This is a rapid response comms house, we specialize in LMFAO https://t.co/PbqFYSg1vb

— Kristen Halbert Needs You To Try Harder (@khalbert617) August 7, 2022

That narrative will be harder to maintain with recent developments. Some Arroyo endorsers are wavering and some are holding firm. Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara offers a thoughtful response.

#bospoli #mapoli pic.twitter.com/LknHIHSfnB

— Kendra Lara (@CllrKendraLara) August 26, 2022

If you can put all of the above on the backburner, listen to what the candidates have to say on 8/3 regarding a number of different issues pertaining to the office. The debate was hosted by The Greater Mattapan Neighborhood Council. Topics that came up include: asset forfeiture, qualified immunity, diversity in the workplace, and more.

HDN offers some debate notes below to help you find certain topics and questions. 

The usual disclaimer: Hump Day News provides a loose outline, with timecodes, of the back-and-forth. The questions (Qs) noted in the transcript are highlights, not an exhaustive record. The candidate’s responses are paraphrases, not quotes, with a little editorial spin.

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Kevin Hayden (KH)

Ricardo Arroyo (RA)

• Opening, 45:00

  • KH, I’m an experienced leader, political service is in my family, fight for racial equality, previous public defender

  • RA, previous public defender, which inspired him on social justice issues; “systemic justice requires systemic cure” (not entirely sure what that means but it sounds great); criminal justice reform through policy;

• Q1, 51:30, do you think there should be more in jail or less?

  • RA, NO; incarceration can be harmful, not the only response to offenses (drug abuse, etc.)

  • KH, less is always better

• Q2, 54:30, should we build/expand the new women’s prison?

  • RA, No; invest in programs that create less recidivism;

  • KH, No; invest in prevention programs

• Q3. 57:30, within the first 90 days, what are your 2 top priorities?

  • KH, 1) reduce amount of guns on street, 2) community engagement & collaboration;

  • RA, 1) diversify personnel, 2) reimplement policy fighting micro-biases

• Q4, 100:00, what kind of services will you provide for seniors?

  • RA, help fight against senior-targeted fraud and get ahead of the fraud with preventative measures;

• Q5, 1:03:00, is the police gang database still an “issue”, if so, what’s your position on that?

  • KH, Yes, still an issue to be addressed through reform;

  • RA, Yes, used to criminalize communities of color;

• Q6, 1:06:00, if programs are not working, what programs would you slot in instead?

• Q7, 1:08:45, what is qualified immunity and do you believe it should be changed?

  • KH, No, don’t change it! It serves a purpose and does not prevent holding police accountable;

  • RA, End qualified immunity (wrote op-ed on it); 

• Q8, 1:13:00, how would you handle a fatal use of police force case if you were in office?

• Q9, 1:16:00, is civil asset forfeiture a good thing in MA?

  • RA, MA has lowest standard in country for CAF: raise the standard!

• Q10, 1:21:00, what was the biggest mistake last DA Rollins made in office, and how would you have handled it differently?

• Closing, 1:26:30

  • RA, end qualified immunity, diversify, use position to advocate for social justice

  • KH, continuing and building on Rollins’ reign; committed to public safety and social justice;

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