Senator Dwayne M. DeGraff denounced the violent homicides that took place over the Easter weekend and days following as well as those in the past few months, calling it a travesty.
“These senseless violent acts show a blatant disregard for human life, and must not be tolerated,” Sen. DeGraff said. “We are losing too many of our precious resource, our young people; and we cannot stand idly by and let a few individuals destroy the fabric of our community.”
DeGraff has sponsored legislation to ban assault weapons in the territory and to ban ghost guns from being shipped into the territory through the mail system. He has worked with the V.I. Police Department in hosting Cash for Gun amnesty programs and will continue to work with the VIPD to provide more of these amnesties to get dangerous weapons off our streets, as well as crime prevention programs geared towards youth.
“I’m calling out on our community to come forward if you have information on any of these recent incidents,” DeGraff continued. “If you see something, say something. It will take all of us working together to bring these perpetrators to justice. To our young people, I stress that violence is not the answer. We must seek non-violent ways to resolve conflict.”
DeGraff added, “As the Carnival season approaches, I’m asking residents to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings. Let us be each other’s keepers.”
