MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. -- The race for Mecklenburg County District Attorney could be competitive as each candidate both have plans to reform the criminal justice system in regards to racial disparities.
Current D.A. Spencer Merriweather was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper last November. He will face public defender Toussaint Romain who was a peacekeeper during the September 2016 protest following the Keith Scott shooting.
D.A. Merriweather says while drug traffickers are serving prison time, some are also receiving treatment for additions. He also is focusing on first-time offenders with non-violent misdemeanors.
Toussaint says he wants to address police accountability and decriminalize marijuana use.
About Spencer Merriweather
Merriweather graduated with a law degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 2005 after graduating from Princeton University. He has spent the last 11 years working as an assistant D.A., primarily working with families of homicide victims and domestic violence. He said his focus is renewing the community's trust in the criminal justice system. He resides in Mecklenburg County with his wife.
To learn more about Merriweather's plans as District Attorney for Mecklenburg County, click here.
About Toussaint Romain
Although he is a local public defender, he was in the national spotlight for his role in being the peacekeeper during the 2016 protests after Keith Scott was shot and killed by an officer. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina Charlotte where he teaches constitutional law. He received his law degree from Regent University of Law School in Virginia in 2007 after graduating from UNCC in 2001. He lives in Mecklenburg County with his wife and children.
To learn more about Romain's plans as a Mecklenburg County District Attorney, click here.