The streets of Oakland, California, moved fast, especially for a boy like Arthur. Raised in a lively neighborhood filled with street football games, water balloon fights, and sweet trips to the local candy lady’s house, Arthur grew up surrounded by both joy and survival. It was a vibrant world, but one shaped by hardship. “The fast life catches up to you,” he reflects. “And sometimes, when your family is struggling, you feel like you don’t have a choice but to provide, however you can.”
Arthur had dreams like any young man, first of becoming a firefighter and then excelling as a football player through high school. But as his environment shifted, so did his path. The pressure of poverty and the allure of quick money led him into choices that ultimately cost him nearly a decade of freedom. At 17, Arthur was arrested for armed robbery. “I was around people doing the same things I was, I didn’t think I’d get caught.”
From juvenile hall to county jail, and finally prison at age 19, Arthur spent the next 9 years and 7 months growing up behind bars. “You have to grow up quickly inside. There were days I felt forgotten, little contact, few visits. But it taught me how to care more deeply, because I know what it’s like to have no one,” he says. “In the end, it made me sincere. Soft-hearted, even.”
When he was released at 26, Arthur faced a world he hadn’t known since childhood. The smallest things, a store doorbell, the smell of car exhaust, taking a shot of liquor, felt foreign. He remembers opening and closing the store door a few times just to hear the bell chime, even though people around him gave him strange looks.
“Your body has to adjust. I had a big appetite, but it took time to get used to food again,” he recalls. He lived with his mother for a month, adjusting slowly. “I was used to isolation. Being around people again was overwhelming.”
Still, Arthur was determined not to return to prison. Two strikes meant no more chances, and he knew he had to make it work.
Through the Reentry Center in Downtown San Jose, Arthur learned about the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO), a program supporting individuals returning from incarceration with employment and wraparound services. “They didn’t judge me. They just helped,” he says. CEO placed Arthur on a transitional work crew, which helped him reenter the workforce with structure and dignity. Shortly after, he landed a position as a bike mechanic with Bay Wheels Motivate. “I’m a handyman by nature. Fixing things just made sense.”
From there, Arthur’s momentum only grew. He moved into a logistics role at Tire Hub, driving trucks and operating heavy machinery such as forklifts, skills he strengthened through CEO’s training support.
He proudly holds several certifications, including OSHA safety training, forklift licensure, a CPR card, and a Microsoft Excel certificate.
“I had to learn how to manage money. I came out as an adult but hadn’t handled bills before,” Arthur admits. “But CEO helped me with the basics like rent, resources, and training. That gave me a foundation. Still, I pat myself on the back too. I got up every day to receive that support.”
Today, Arthur is enrolled in college, pursuing an associate's degree in psychology with plans for a bachelor’s. He dreams of a career in electrical work or auto body repair and maybe, one day, running his own business. He’s also taken to cooking, with his family calling him a “foodhead” thanks to his love for steak and potatoes.
When asked what advice he’d offer to someone just coming home, Arthur doesn’t hesitate: “Don’t try, just do. You have to want this. Keep striving.”
He also wishes more people understood the truth of reentry. “You can’t judge someone if you’ve never walked in their shoes. Support goes a long way.”
Arthur’s journey is not just one of reentry, it’s one of rebirth. Through grit, grace, and the steady support, he’s building a life grounded in purpose and powered by resilience.
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