{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://plaskett.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=6068", "CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT RESPONDS TO REPORT OF MULTIPLE GUNSHOTS IN FREDERIKSTED", "2026-05-09", "2026", "2026-05", "Democrat", "House", "VI", "Stacey E. Plaskett", "P000610", "plaskett.house.gov", "plaskett", "https://plaskett.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "For Immediate Release Contact: Tionee Scotland\n\nMay 9, 2026 202-808-6129\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nCONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT RESPONDS TO REPORT OF MULTIPLE GUNSHOTS IN FREDERIKSTED\n\nSt. Croix, USVI \u2014 Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) today released the following statement in response to a report of over 100 gunshots fired in Frederiksted, St. Croix:\n\n\"The ongoing violence in our territory weighs heavily on me. Every incident is a painful reminder of how much work remains for us.\n\n\"Frederiksted holds a very special place in my heart and in the work of my office. We have seen this town endure years of neglect and deterioration \u2014 and we have also seen the resilience of the people who refuse to give up on it. I am continually inspired by the residents, business owners, advocates, and community members who show up every single day committed to making the town of Frederiksted better. My team and I stand with you, as we always have.\n\n\u201cThroughout my time in Congress, my team and I have consistently advocated for public safety, community investment, and regional security across the territory. Public safety begins long before a crime is committed, and I worked to ensure that USVI youth-serving organizations like the Caribbean Centers for Boys & Girls received $1 million in community project funding in 2024 to support effective youth programming. Organizations like these provide safe spaces, mentorship, and wraparound services for at-risk youth and are an integral part of violence prevention. I will continue to champion federal funding for community-based organizations on the front lines of violence prevention in the Virgin Islands.\n\n\u201cI have also fought to restore and protect federal behavioral health grants, including SAMHSA funding and secured $141,000 for Project Cultiv8te's after-school gun violence intervention programming for at-risk youth, $857,000 for St. Clair Institute, and $788,000 for Bush Tea and Therapy Foundation. I understand that trauma, untreated mental illness, and lack of behavioral health infrastructure are significant drivers of community violence.\n\n\u201cAdditionally, I have long advocated for equipping the Virgin Islands Police Department with the resources necessary to address the unique security challenges of a Caribbean territory. This includes securing $3.9 million in federal funding to purchase three marine enforcement vessels to assist with drug-trafficking interdiction and safety patrols in the territory's waters.\n\n\"Frederiksted and our entire territory deserves safety, investment, and the full attention of every level of government. I will continue to fight for nothing less.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-05-10T06:06:32Z", "2026-05-10T06:07:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://plaskett.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=6068"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.859617255628109, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}