U.S. Attorney Lapointe Speaks with Students and the Community at his Alma Mater Miami Edison Senior High School

MIAMI — Recently, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida took a trip down memory lane when he hosted a community engagement meeting where he graduated high school.

Miami Edison Senior High School Principal James Dominique and the school’s staff graciously welcomed Lapointe back to his alma mater. As Principal Dominique’s message reads on the school’s homepage, “It takes a village to raise a child.”  Lapointe acknowledged the impact of those words by adding that our united “village is called upon to raise, educate, serve, and protect our children. For many, education starts at home but not everyone has that opportunity. For our youth to grow into successful and productive citizens, we must all come together to offer our support and mentorship. We need to safeguard the youth of today so that, hopefully, they never become a victim or commit a crime.” 

The auditorium of Miami Edison Senior High School was full of both students and community stakeholders who listened intently as Lapointe gave his opening remarks. Afterward, audience members lined up in the aisle to ask questions of the Edison graduate who was appointed by President Joe Biden to serve as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer for the District. Lapointe is the first African American to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the first Haitian-born individual to serve as a U.S. Attorney in any office across the Nation.

One question directed at Lapointe during the community program was what advice he would give young adults.

“Understand from the get-go that education is your only way out,” he said. “You can’t count on a trust fund. When I was growing up we didn’t have a choice—we knew it was education. That’s the core element of success and how we made it through.”

One of the primary missions of the United States Attorney's Office is to ensure that federal crimes affecting the people in the Southern District of Florida are investigated and that the perpetrators are prosecuted, convicted, and punished. Common sense and experience have taught us, however, that we cannot prosecute, arrest, and punish our way out of the problems that illegal drug use, violent crime, and criminal gangs visit upon our community. Prosecution alone will not eliminate the threat they pose to our way of life. Every sector and member of our community, including Edison High School students, has an important role to play in our efforts to put an end to these problems.

Lapointe recounted what it was like growing up in the Miami Edison Senior High School area.

“I lived right over there on 12^th and 59^th,” he said. “[I] Had pots and pans all over the apartment floor to catch rain because the roof leaked. I know what you’re going through because I have lived it. And if I can make it, then you all can make it too.”

During his high school years, Lapointe used visualization to help him remain focused and in a positive mindset.

“I would sit on top of our building on 12^th Street and from there I could see an outline of downtown in the distance,” he said. “And I would say to myself, ‘This is where I should be.’ And that helped me.” Years later, Lapointe found himself exactly where he envisioned one day being–in downtown Miami, working as a lawyer.

Lapointe encouraged the students to stay the course, to make smart decisions, to read as much as possible, and to seek the guidance of others in their time of need. 

The program at Miami Edison Senior High School was put together by the Law Enforcement Coordination and Community Outreach Section (LEC/COS) of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe speaks to a group of community members and Miami Edison Senior High School students during a recent community engagement event. Lapointe, an Edison graduate himself, stressed the importance of education and making good decisions.

###