Will Compton produce the next District Attorney of Los Angeles County?
Danette Meyers came “Straight Outta Compton” and as a veteran prosecutor, she is heading in that direction
By Yussuf J. Simmonds
Sentinel Managing Editor
According to Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers, she intends to use her unprecedented courtroom experience to implement major reforms to the juvenile justice system and develop more effective community outreach projects aimed at reducing violent crimes and drug related offenses. As District Attorney, Meyers intends to work in partnership with law enforcement, the judiciary and the legislature to increase public safety throughout Los Angeles County while ensuring fair and equal justice for all.
Born and raised in Compton, Meyers has become one of the city’s biggest thrusts in its effort at “Birthing a new Compton, and as a deputy district attorney, she has the ability to place Compton on the map as the next district attorney of the county of Los Angeles, who also happens to be a native of the “Hub City.”
In a frank conversation with Meyers, she was emphatic about her vision for the county as district attorney. She said, “My objectives when I take office are to revamp our environmental section; revamp the juvenile justice system focusing on repeat offenders; to center in on rehabilitative programs in terms of drug offenders.
Compton has had a reputation that is totally removed from the reality of the city, and Meyers is on the road to help change that myth into the reality of a community of working people in decent neighborhoods – with children going to school and families getting together like other neighborhoods.
Her focus at present is mostly on murder cases with special circumstances, and as a 25-year veteran prosecutor, she is uniquely competent and qualified to take over the reins of the country’s largest prosecutor’s office. Located at the airport court where she is one of the senior trial deputies, Meyers brings a meaningful compassion in her work as a prosecutor. She is not of the old-school-of-thought that by arresting and incarcerating low-level, non-violent criminals, it would solve or lessen the problem of crime and/or make society safer.
“Having different prosecutorial agencies throughout the state,” Meyers said often facilitated the uneven handling of cases in each jurisdiction. “They have different policies about how they handle cases in their jurisdiction. I think it is a lack of (proper) training, and how you hire deputy district attorneys. I think there has to be ongoing training.” Meyers further added that she has tried cases all over L.A. County and that gives her a broad approach to the job that she is seeking. She has tried cases in Corona, Torrance, Van Nuys, Pomona, at the airport (where she presently is), and of course, on her “home turf, ” Compton.
“There needs to be more uniformity in the criminal justice system; that’s one of the things that I’d like to see.” Meyers continued, “What happens in Compton and what happens at the airport or in the Valley – are we being uniformed in our application of the law?”
Meyers was very proud of her upbringing in Compton and looks forward to be able to return to her community, as the first Black, female district attorney of the county following in the footsteps of the state’s first Black, female Attorney General, Kamala Harris (former the first Black female district attorney of San Francisco). She said, “The community could expect that I would mete out justice fairly to everyone in L.A. County and that I will always be open to any thoughts from the community, and that I’ll be fair to all in hiring and make sure the D.A.’s office represents the community.”
