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VI UPDATE U.S. Virgin Islands Public Records TRANSCRIPT OF PUBLIC PROCEEDINGS Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection Legislature USVI May 7, 2026 · 3.0 hours · gov Source recording https://youtu.be/usCOh4daEbo Status This is a working transcript produced by machine from a recording of a public proceeding. It is a finding aid, not an official record of the Legislature. Transcribed by VI Update, using OpenAI Whisper large-v3-turbo, run locally. Not reviewed by a person. Reliability Automatic transcription, UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording before relying on it. Speech recognition splits spoken digits and wraps figures mid-number, so a dollar amount, a vote count or a bill number can be wrong in a way that reads as correct. Speakers are not identified: automatic speaker labelling was measured unusable and removed. Public record The underlying proceeding is a public record of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands. 3 V.I.C. § 881(a) defines public records to include all records and documents of or belonging to this Territory or any branch of government, or any "department, board, council or committee of any branch of government" · which names legislative committees by category. § 881(b) gives every citizen the right to examine and copy such records, and the news media the right to publish them. (The open-meetings chapter, 1 V.I.C. § 254, does NOT reach the Legislature: § 253(b) expressly excludes it and its Standing and Special Committees. § 881 does, and it is § 881 that confers the right to copy and publish.) The Legislature broadcast this proceeding publicly itself. The source recording is not ours, is not hosted here, and remains with its publisher at the link above. Rights To what we added · the transcription, its arrangement and its description · we assert nothing. A verbatim transcript is mechanical rather than authored, so there is likely nothing in it to own; to the extent any copyright is nonetheless found to subsist, it is dedicated to the public domain under CC0 1.0. Please copy it, quote it, index it, train on it, republish it, mirror it, sell it. Redistribution is the point: a public record with one copy is one fire from gone. No permission is needed, and none is ours to grant or withhold. Thank you. Thank you. 0:00:00 Thank you. Thank you. 0:01:00 Thank you. I love you. Oh, my God. [3 such phrases repeated 12 times · standby audio before the proceeding, transcribed by the recogniser as speech] 0:02:00 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. 0:08:00 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, my God. so so 0:10:30 so Thank you. so so Thank you. 0:13:30 Thank you. ¶¶ Thank you. Thank you. . 0:16:00 . . . . . ¶¶ Good morning. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, 2026 for the Committee on Government, Operation Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection has been called to order. Good morning to everyone who is here today and welcome. I tell the audience, I tell the listening and viewing audience in here fool me boy. Something great is going to happen in here today. 0:18:04 All right, I'd like to welcome you all to the Committee on Government Operation Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection, which I have the honor to chair alongside my colleague, Vice Chair Senator Novo Lee Francis Jr. I would like to extend with a gratitude and warm welcome to all committee members and non-committee members. Thank you for your continued participation and support as always i would be remiss if i did not express my appreciation for my team miss whatley and miss michael together we are small but mighty we're getting big things done to those watching and listening across our virgin island thank you for tuning in and thank you for engaging in the legislative process before i 0:19:30 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 1 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro begin i'd like for all of us to join in a moment of silence for the past president ronald e russell we give him a moment of silence please please stand everyone thank you be seated As we convened for today's meeting, I first want to extend my sincere hope that everyone had a happy, safe and enjoyable Carnival season, Philville culture, celebration and togetherness. While I have the floor, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the Division of Festivals for a job well done, another successful Carnival in the book. I'd like to thank all the supporting agencies. I don't want any problems here today. But I must say, VIPD, Waste Management 911, all of you out there who participated or contributed, excellent job. I think it was incident free in my book. I don't know what VIPD have in their bladder. But in my books, everything went well. And I thank you all for making it safe, not just for the visitors, but for the residents who reside here as well. As we In transition from the festivities back into the important work of serving the people of Virgin Islands, we remain committed to advancing initiatives that strengthen our community and improve the quality of life for all Virgin Islanders. This month, we recognize several important observances that deserve acknowledgement and reflection. The National Mental Health Awareness Month reminded us of the importance of prioritizing mental wellness, breaking stigmas, and ensuring that individuals and families have access to the support and resources they need. We also observed the Virgin Island Stroke Awareness Month, which highlights the importance of education, prevention and early detection in protecting the health of our community. Additionally, we proudly celebrate Virgin Island's Flag Day on May 17, a time to honor the history, culture, resilience and identity of our territory and reflect on the pride we share as Virgin Islanders. We also recognize National Correctional Officers and Employees Week and National and Territorial Nurses Week, two observances that allow us to express gratitude to the dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to protect, care for and serve our community. I think beginning Sunday, we begin National Police Week. I didn't see the non I know office and not the head self to tell me yes good see the chief it's not ahead thank you national police week I'd like to honor respect those we have a teacher appreciation week as well and two congratulations to all I mean it's a daunting task but you get it 0:21:25 done thank you as we continue our work throughout the territory I also want to highlight the continued progress of the Senator Lewis Youth Workforce Initiative, which remains focused on exposing our youth to career pathways, technical skills, and hands-on educational opportunities that prepare them for the future. This effort directly aligns with the continued push for the establishment of a technical college in the Virgin Islands. I believe that our students deserve expanded opportunities right here at home to pursue technical education, skilled trades, workforce certifications and career development programs that can be led to sustainable and meaningful employment. With that being said, thank you all for your continued dedication and participation. I look forward to a productive and meaningful meeting today. Thank you once again to my colleagues, testifiers and the public for your continued engagement. Let us proceed with today's agenda in the spirit of service, collaboration and progress. Let's begin today's work on behalf of the people. Madam Clerk could I have a roll call please. Yes Mr. Chair. Senator Ray Fonseca. Senator Fonseca absent. Senator Novell E. Francis Jr. I'm here. Senator Francis Jr. present. Senator Alma Francis Heiliger. Senator Senator Francis Heiliger, absent. Senator Kenneth L. Gittins, absent. Senator Franklin D. Johnson, here. 0:23:21 Senator Johnson, present. Senator Carla J. Joseph, present. Senator Joseph, present. Senator Avery L. Lewis, present. Senator Lewis, present. Mr. Chair, you have four members present, three members absent. Thank you, Madam Clark. Madam Clark, are there any correspondences from any committee members to be read into the record? Yes, Mr. Chair. Please proceed, Madam Clark. Dated May 7th, 2026, Honorable Avery L. Lewis, 36th Legislature, Chairman on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection. Greetings, Senator Lewis. Please note for the records I will be tardy to the Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection. Scheduled for 9.30 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in the Earl B. Otley Legislative Hall due to a previous scheduled appointment. I will arrive as soon as possible. Thank you for understanding. Regards, Senator Alma Francis Heiliger, 36, Legislature. Member, Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection. Dated May 6, 2026, the Honorable Avery L. Lewis, Chairman, Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection, 36th Legislature of the Virgin Islands, Capitol Building, Charlotte Amali, USVI 00802. Dear Chairman Lewis, I hope this correspondence reaches you in the best of health and spirits. Please be advised that due to a scheduling conflict, I will be delayed to today's Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection hearing. I note the importance of the agenda items and I look forward to weighing in the discussion upon my arrival senator kenneth l gittins dated may 6 2026 the honorable avery l 0:25:00 lewis chairman committee on government operations veterans affairs and consumer protection legislature of the virgin islands p.o box 1690 capitol building shot in amali vi 00801 dear chairman lewis please accept my apologies for being late to today's meeting for the committee on and Government Operations, Veterans Affairs, and Consumer Protection, scheduled for Thursday, May 7, 2026. I have a previously scheduled engagement to attend. Thank you for your cooperation. Cordially, Senator Ray Fonseca, 36, Legislature of the Virgin Islands. Mr. Chair, this concludes the reading 0:26:51 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 2 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro of correspondences. Thank you. Please mark Senator Fonseca, Senator Gittins, And Senator Francis, how do you look at his excuse? Madam Clerk, please read today's agenda for Block 1 into the record. Yes, Mr. Chair. Date April 24, 2026. The Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs, and Consumer Protection has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 9.30 a.m. in the Earl B. Otley Legislative Hall on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in consideration of the following bills. Block 1, Bill No. 36-0114, an act honoring and commending Dilsa Captaville for her many contributions to the Virgin Islands community through her roles in various areas of social services and advocacy for abused women and children and to rename the Bolonga Bay Head Start Facility, the Dilsa Captaville Head Start Facility in her honor, proposed by Senator Carla J. Joseph, invited testifiers, the Honorable Myron Jackson, former Senator, Ms. Yvette Finch, Dr. Angelina Price, Ms. Anya Stewart, Ms. Tonya Garnett. Bill number 36-0191, an act honoring and commending Detective Delbert Phipps Jr. for his service with the Virgin Islands Police Department and to the Virgin Islands community by renaming the person of Hospital Gata, where it intersects with Veterans Drive at the Alexander Farley Criminal Justice Complex to the beginning of the Maude Pearlfoot Drive, the Delbert Phipps Jr. Street, proposed by Senator Angel L. Bocas Jr. Inverted testifiers, Mr. Jerry Innes, VI Department of Justice, Mr. Vernon Carr, Virgin Islands Police Department, Ms. Vivian Newton, Virgin Islands Police Department, Ms. Maria Colon, Virgin Islands Police Department, Ms. Sharice Thomas, Virgin Islands Police Department. Mrs. Denise Phipps, mother of Detective Delbert Phipps Jr. Mr. Delbert Phipps Sr., father of Detective Delbert Phipps Jr. Mr. Demel Phipps, son of Detective Delbert Phipps Jr. Ms. Melody Phipps, mother of Demel Phipps. Mr. Chair, this concludes the reading of Block 1. 0:27:53 Thank you. madam clerk are there any correspondences from any of the invited testifiers to be read on the record yes mr chair please proceed the honorable avery lewis 36 legislature of the virgin islands capitol building charlotte amali p.o box 1690 st thomas vi 00804 Dear Senator Lewis, I write to express my strong support for the proposed naming of the Head Start facility in Bovoni in honor of Ms. Delsa Captaville, whose lifetime service has made a lasting impact on our community and the lives of our children. Ms. Captaville has been a tireless advocate for families and youth throughout the Virgin Islands. Through her work as a social worker, board member, and community leader, she has helped strengthen our community and expand opportunities for countless young people head start represents one of our most critical investments in the future of the virgin islands providing essential early childhood education and family support services it is especially fitting that the facility bear the name of someone who has dedicated her life to uplifting and empowering others naming the bovoni head start building in her honor would both recognize her contributions and inspire future generations miss captainville's legacy reflects compassion dedication and meaningful impact it is both fitting and appropriate that we honor her in a manner that reflects the depth of her service i commend you for bringing forward this proposal and stand firmly in the support of this effort please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any additional support respectfully albert bryan jr governor mr chair this concludes the reading of any correspondences thank you madam clerk there we have it are we going to begin now 0:30:01 mr stewart starting with you state your name and position on the record let's do a mic check make sure the mics are working this morning good morning everyone my name is annie stuart i am the executive director for family resource center thank you i submit this test no no wait Wait, wait, wait. Those are not my check. Patient name on the record. Good morning, everyone. My name is Yvette Finch. Good morning, everyone. My name is Dilsa Captable. 0:32:01 Morning, Mr. Chairman. Those present, my name is Myron D. Jackson. Good morning, Senator Lewis. My name is Tanya Garnett. Good morning, Senator Lewis and members of the body. I'm Dr. Angelina J. Prince. Thank you. First on the agenda, we have Bill No. 360114, and honoring and commending Dilsa Captaville for her many contributions to the Virgin Islands community through paroles in various areas of social services and advocacy to abuse women and children to rename the Bolongo Head Start Facility the Dilsa Captaville Head Start Facility in her honor. 0:32:33 Who speaks to this bill? I do, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Senator. Joseph, you're recognized. Thank you so kindly, Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee on Government Operations, Veteran Affairs and Consumer Affairs, Honorable Colleagues, Distinguished Guests and Members of our beloved Virgin Islands community. Today I stand and sit before you with immense pride and deep respect to introduce Bill number 36-0114 to honor one of our true trailblazers, a champion for our children, and a beacon of hope for families across our territory, Ms. Dilsa Captaville. Ms. Captaville's journey began right here in the Virgin Islands, where as a high school student in 1965, she embarked on her lifelong mission of service at the former Department of Social Welfare. Her dedication to social work led her to earn advanced degrees from Wagner College in New York University, but it was her return home, her return home that marked the beginning of a transformative era for child welfare in our community. As a first territorial child abuse specialist for the Virgin Islands, let me repeat that again. The first territorial child abuse specialist for the Virgin Islands, Ms. Captaville did not simply respond to the needs of abused and neglected children. She led the charge to change the system itself. She 0:33:16 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 3 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro launched the first public awareness campaigns, organized workshops and training for schools and agencies, and most notably, created the very first child abuse task force in the Virgin Islands. This task force brought together commissioners, nurses, doctors, counselors, school personnel, and attorneys, forging a united front against child abuse and neglect. Ms. Captaville's leadership was instrumental in developing and enacting the Virgin Islands' first child abuse status, ensuring that our laws will protect the most vulnerable among us. Her vision extended beyond our shores as she organized, again, the first Caribbean Conference on Child Sexual Abuse, drawing over 600 attendees from across the region and the United States. But her impact did not stop there. In 1997, Ms. Captaville founded Kids School, the first child abuse advocacy center in the Caribbean, providing forensic interviews, counseling, and advocacy for children in need. Through her work at the Women's Resource Center, now the Family Resource Center, supported victims of domestic violence and families facing unimaginable challenges. Ms. Captaville's tireless efforts have been recognized at the highest levels, including the Administration of Child, Youth, and Families Commissioners Award in Washington, D.C., and the Rotary Club's Man of the Year, awarded, and this is a first again, to the first woman ever to receive the honor in St. Thomas. Ms. Captaville's legacy is not only in the policy she shaped or the organization she built, but in the countless lives she positively touched. Children who found safety, families who found hope, and a community that found a steadfast champion. It is only fitting that we honor her by renaming the Bolongo Bay Head Start Facility as the DILSA Captavail Head Start Facility. This act will serve as a lasting tribute to her unwavering commitment to the betterment of the Virgin Islands and our people. Colleagues, I urge you to give this legislation your utmost consideration and join me in honoring this trailblazer and champion for our children as well as families. not just as a gesture of gratitude, but as a promise to continue the work she began to protect, to uplift, and to inspire. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Senator Joseph. You really need nothing for the testifier. Thank you. Thank you. We're going to begin. 0:38:26 Senator Jackson, are you ready with your testimony? Yes, Mr. Chairman. You may proceed, sir. Thank you very much. Good morning, Honorable Senator Avery Lewis, Chairman of the Committee on Government Operations, Veteran Affairs, Consumer Protection, and esteemed senators present. My name is Myron D. Jackson, former President of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands. I am honored to appear before you today to provide testimony in support of Bill No. 36-0114, an act honoring and commending Ms. Douser-Captiville for her many contributions in the field of social services and for her steadfast advocacy on behalf of women, children, and families throughout the Virgin Islands. Elsa Torres Captaville and I have shared a friendship since our adolescent years in the historic Upstreet Committee of Kings Quarter in Charlotte, Amalia. 0:38:57 Our families, parents, grandparents, siblings and extended relatives knew one another well and were bound by mutual respect, shared values and a deep sense of community. We were raised in an environment where service to others, compassion, and respect were not merely taught, but lived daily. Our mothers devoted their professional lives to nursing and healthcare, while our fathers as entrepreneurs and civil servants contributed greatly to the growth and well-being of their families and the broader St. Thomas community. Those values shaped us and helped instill in DELSA a lifelong commitment to serving others. It is therefore most fitting that we gather today to recognize a true daughter of the Virgin Islands, one who, from an early age, committed her professional and community life to uplifting the less fortunate and advocating for those in need. 0:40:00 Throughout her career, Mrs. Delcer-Capdeville has worked tirelessly and collaboratively to establish programs, institutions and safe havens dedicated to the protection, care and rehabilitation of women, children, and families affected by domestic violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, trafficking, and psychological trauma. Over the decades, her unwavering advocacy has brought her before this body on numerous occasions to testify in support of legislative reforms affecting women and children. She has also walked the halls of this legislature, seeking the resources necessary to sustain critical programs and institutions serving valuable and undeserved populations. 0:41:13 I'm sorry, not undeserved, but underserved populations. I had the privilege of serving on the board of Kidscope during its years of active operation and during my tenure as a senator, I was proud to advocate alongside her and in support of her mission. On a personal note, I will never forget Delsa's humanity, courage, and unrelenting commitment to those in crisis. One morning during office hours here at the Legislature, I received an urgent call regarding a female relative of mine who was experiencing a serious and deeply troubled crisis. As I prepared to respond, I quickly realized that professional and spiritual support would be essential. I called Delsa Captaville. Without hesitation, she immediately left her office and came to assist. 0:42:12 Through her compassion, presence, and decisive action, My relative received critical medical attention and was able to pass with dignity. This is the character of Delsa Captaville. This is the measure of her humanity. It is therefore both fitting and deserving that this legislature honor her legacy of service. I'm proud to support Bill No. 360114, sponsored by 0:43:15 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 4 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro Senator Carla Joseph, which seeks to honor and commend Elsa Captiville for her lifetime commitment to the people of the Virgin Islands through her work in social services and advocacy, particularly in the upliftment of women and children, and to designate the Bolongo Bay Head Start Facility in her honor. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this hearing. I respectfully encourage the members of this committee and the full body to give favourable consideration and approval to this important measure. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Jackson. Ms. Finch, you may proceed. One second, Ms. Finch. I'd like to recognize the presence of Senator, non-committee member, Senator Angel Borges Junior, Senator at large. Good morning, Senator. You may begin, Ms. Fins. 0:44:16 Good morning. Honorable Avery L. Lewis, Chairman of Government Operations, Veterans Affairs, Consumer Protection and distinguished members of this committee, members of the 36th Legislature, family and friends and those tuned in via radio legit tv and other social media thank you for holding this hearing today and for inviting me to speak on behalf of miss dilsa torres captainville my name is yvette m finch a proud daughter of the soil who is deeply rooted in this community today i have the privilege of appearing before you to testify in support of bill number three six 0114, an act honoring my lifelong friend, whom I proudly call my sister and kindred spirit, Ms. Delsa Torres-Captaville. Delsa is being honored and commended for her outstanding contributions to the Virgin Islands community through her role in various areas of social service, as well as advocacy for abused women and children, and most recently, her promotion of cancer awareness and prevention. Additionally, it is proposed that the Bolongo Bay Head Start facility be renamed to the DILSA Captaville Head Start facility in her honor. I come to you with a deep respect and admiration for DILSA as a public servant, but more so to speak on many years of family relations built between the Torres, Adams and Finch families. Our families grew up in a small neighborhood of King's Quarters, known to most of us as Up Street. Dilsa lived directly at next door to our home, which was the home of my grandparents, 0:44:48 Bandmaster Alton A. Adams Sr. and Ella Adams. Dilsa's household consisted of of her parents, Manuel and Floris Torres, and her four sisters, including Dilsa, Angela, Alicia, and Elizabeth. Dilsa and Angela were closer to my older brothers, Larry, Leroy, Robert, who is deceased, and Vernon. My brother, Cliff, and I grew up closer to Alicia and Elizabeth. 0:46:43 As youngsters, I cannot remember a day that we weren't in each other's homes. My brothers, Vernon, Dilsa's dearest and closest confidant, completes the proud family members who support this initiative wholeheartedly. I take this opportunity to enter into the records Vernon's words in support of this bill. Dilsa is a woman whose life has been defined by service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to her community. Growing up in an upstreet neighborhood surrounded by very close-knit family, she was deeply rooted in the values of love, togetherness and giving back. She spent most of her childhood in Up Street at the home of, again, my grandparents Alton and Ella Adams, where she could often be found climbing one of the many fruit trees in the property or playing sports in the backyard until her parents call her home. From an early age, Delta showed a natural passion for helping others. She carried that passion into adulthood by founding Kidscope Inc. Her dedication to community service and outreach made her a trusted and respected figure as she worked tirelessly to support families, children and those in need. Dilsa's heart was especially drawn to abused and vulnerable children. Through her involvement in social work from a very young age, she became a source of comfort, guidance and protection for many. She was often called upon alongside the Virgin Islands Police Department to assist in trauma cases, bringing compassion and care to some of the most difficult moments in people's lives. Her influence also extended into cultural and spiritual leadership. She is a founding 0:47:11 member of the party Hardy Carolers and was a member of the Jester's Carnival troop, using her talents to bring joy, unity, and celebration to the community. Her dedication and impact were further recognized through an induction into the St. John of Jerusalem Knights of Malta, a historic organization known for its mission of service and the establishment of hospitals dating back to the Middle Ages. She was accompanied to this event by Dr. Alfred Eade and Mr. Clive Banfield. Dilsa's legacy is one of compassion, strength, and selfless service, and it is for this reason I am in support of this long-awaited honor and recognition of my dear friend. 0:49:06 And that is from Vernon A. Finch. Dilsa embodies the spirit of service. Her work in creating a safe, non-judgmental zone for survivors of domestic violence has provided comfort and hope to so many. She walks with people through their darkest moment and empowers them to rewrite their stories. What is even more rewarding is to see the many people she has assisted over the years return to thank her and boast of the lasting positive impact she has on their lives. They say the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in serving others. 0:49:52 That perfectly describes Dilsa Captaville. I am always in awe of her unwavering dedication to her family, her daughters, Chanel, Lisa and Deandra, are her pride and joy and her biggest success story. She now boasts of her growing tree, Emery, Ziggy, Zoe and the latest addition Isabel who we call Izzy, who proudly calls her Amma. She does not speak 0:50:37 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 5 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro proudly of her family without including her wonderful sons-in-law Rodney and Isaiah, whom she often boasts of how blessed her daughters are to have such great family-oriented men in their lives. It is really amazing to see how Dilsa is able to juggle her family dedication and her very demanding profession, a calling she may never retire from having witnessed dilsa's community involvement firsthand i can confidently say she possesses the rare ability to bring people together a common cause in 2016 dilsa was diagnosed with cancer and spent almost three and a half years at the cancer treatment center of america in atlanta battling this dreaded disease her testimony on her journey is nothing more than miraculous offering inspiration and hope for many it was during this experience that she vowed to become an advocate for awareness and prevention by perform by forming a support group we from upstreet inc provided the perfect platform to form such a group as well as an opportunity for her to rejoin the organization In 2024, she was asked to chair the Health and Wellness Cancer Support Committee of the organization, a role she happily accepted. This committee was formed to host monthly support meetings for cancer survivors who needed a place to be amongst other survivors, to share and support each other, and to receive information on valuable medicinal and financial resources. Two years later, this group continues to thrive, successfully acquiring new members, new resources, and reaching its goal for supporting each other through sharing. DILSA continues to make a lasting positive impact on so many lives, including my own, and I can't think of anyone else more deserving of this recognition. Again, on behalf of my family, her children, her grandchildren, and the many friends and members of We From Up Street, I thank you for this opportunity to testify as well as to you, Senator Carla Joseph, for proposing this bill. I look forward to your favorable response to Bill number 360114. Thank you, Mr. Chair. 0:53:02 Thank you. Ms. Fenton, I'll tell you one thing. The last sentence I say, you look forward to your favorable response when I look out in a crowd it's captain will bring out some real heavy hitters if you bring a man like Kate McGrath from Tong Tong Miss Payne and okay see Jimmy O'Brien you're really batting good this morning dr. Prince you may go I could begin singing praises enlisting the accomplishments of Ms. Dilsa-Captiville today and still be talking tomorrow. Good morning to the members of the 36th Legislature, members of the audience and viewers from around the world. I'm Dr. Angelina J. Prince, a psychologist here in the Virgin Islands, and I stand before you today in full support of bill number 36-0114 that seeks to rename the Bolongo Bay Head start facility the Dilsa Captaville head start facility in my humble opinion this meaningful gesture should be the first of many to honor her lifelong dedication and tireless efforts to the Virgin Islands community I don't believe the people of the Virgin Islands truly understand the significance of dedicating over 60 years of your life to social work and public service to our people. I first met Tulsa Captaville as a young masters of psychology student at the University of the Virgin Islands and during that time I worked tirelessly during that time as a news reporter producer with WSTA radio or so I thought and made it my mission to report both the harsh news of the territory and the good news and during child abuse awareness month in 2011 I came across 0:53:46 KidsCope Inc. and learned that Ms. Captaville was the founder. Deciding to interview Ms. Captaville was the start of an eye-opening journey for me as a journalist and unbeknownst to me the beginning of the most rewarding mentorship relationship and more that I could imagine. This interview provided insight into the long-standing issues of child sexual abuse in our community, barriers faced in serving our families, and the dedication and commitment of Ms. Captaville in serving them. The Family Resource Center exists today in large part because of Miss Captaville putting her efforts to form the Women's Resource Center. Kids Cope Inc. served the Virgin Islands community for over three decades because of Miss Captaville. Our very own Nana Baby Home is another prime example of Miss Captaville collaborating with other invested individuals to better protect our children. The existence of the comprehensive child abuse laws here in the Virgin Islands were written in large part because Ms. Captaville identified the deficits and made it a point to collaborate with officials to take action. Ms. Captaville's dedication to protecting our children and healing our families is undeniable and I won't recant her entire history and wealth of contributions to our community because again we'll still be sitting here tomorrow so i choose to focus on my experience with miss captainville and firsthand accounts of her contribution to our society i interviewed her during that interview she told me she sold her car what do you mean you sold your car i can recall the shock that ran through my body when miss captainville recounted a sticky situation of running out of funding for the non-profit kids cope and making the extreme sacrifice of selling her own car to keep operations going until funding could be secured. 0:55:38 The history of how KidsCope came into existence intrigued me. A happenstance visit of Miss Captaville to a child advocacy center and conference in Huntsville, Alabama in 1996 was what opened her mind and heart to the possibility of operating a center here for children. Prior to that, she worked primarily with adults. But that all changed after her visit to Huntsville, where the first child advocacy center in the country was established. And after some other serendipitous occurrences that she couldn't ignore, Kidscope came into existence. 0:57:31 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 6 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro Hanging on the wall in Kidscope, still to this day, is a picture taken of two-year-old Shaquanna Annette before she was beaten, molested, burned on a hot stove, and finally killed by her mother's boyfriend in 1992. It hangs above the blue and white drawing of an angel, complete with a golden halo that bears a strong resemblance to Shaquanna. Shaquanna is one of the reasons that Ms. Capitaville was driven to provide a safe haven for abused and neglected children. When Shaquanna was killed, there were no laws and little else available to protect her. 0:58:07 So Kidscope was born with a grant from the Law Enforcement Planning Commission to serve children, as is evidenced by its name and mission to serve child victims of abuse, neglect, and sexual molestation. But what began with an interview with an inquisitive young news producer and a seasoned and dedicated social worker blossomed into a long-standing mentorship. As I progressed in my master's program and elevated to the final stage of internship, I knew that Kidscope was my calling. So I began as an intern and stayed on as a counselor. And in my seven years at Kidscope, I had first-hand experience with what it means to truly serve our public and also the horrors that plague our community and harm our children. There were times we worked until midnight, times we worked for free, and countless times we sacrificed time with our own families in the name of justice and healing. 0:58:43 There, Homeland Security, the FBI, Human Services, the VVIPD, all were frequent visitors at KidsCope. And as a community, we are plagued by generational trauma, child sexual abuse, human trafficking, and there are few resources to address these social ills. Ms. Captaville and the team at KidsCope engaged in battle head-on, facing the odds. The sacrifice of Ms. Captaville was far greater than selling her own car. She faced litigation, threats of death, coercion, and bankruptcy all in the name of protecting our children and from the first day at kids cope until my departure as I left for my doctoral residency with tears on my face I remember the angels at kids cope there were angels everywhere all sorts of angels and the art little statues tree decorations everywhere but the angel that I remember the most and will never forget is the most tremendous of them all. Miss Dilsa Torres Captaville. I want the legislative body and greater audience today to recognize the blessing that Miss Captaville has been to me, to many before me, and to our community as a whole. Her presence and blessing to our Virgin Islands community came an immense personal sacrifice and yet she persevered. I have a humble request as I stand here today. I ask that we truly pause to give credence to the long time and still ongoing service of Miss Captaville, not just by naming the Belongo Head Start facility in her honor. I ask that lawmakers here today make a commitment to picking up the sword against child sexual abuse and dedicating much needed time, efforts, and funding to create a system for properly protecting and seeking justice for our child victims and their family members. With the shuttering of Kidscope, there's a gap in services to our most vulnerable 0:59:38 population, and this leaves our children prone to re-victimization, law enforcement lacking critical evidence, children left unhealed, and a society left unprotected as predators walk amongst us. We are in need of the child advocacy that Ms. Dilsa Captaville selflessly gave us for decades. And as I depart the stand today, I want to reiterate my support for my mentor, my long time colleague, a true mother to me, Ms. Dilsa-Captaville. 1:01:35 The late and great anthropologist Margaret Mead was a proponent of collective action and social change in this world and stated that never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. In Miss Captanville, we as a Virgin Islands people are tremendously blessed to have such a committed and dedicated selfless, tireless individual amongst us. I want to thank you for the time to testify today and ask that you carefully consider, support and approve the bill that is here before us. Thank you thank you thank you dr prince mr work you may proceed good morning chairperson honorable senators members of the community our listening audience and to my esteemed staff my name is Anya Stewart executive director today I Today I submit this testimony on behalf of my Family Resource Center, Inc., and organization. 1:02:11 We are deeply committed to advocating for safety, dignity, and rights of all members of our community. It is truly an honor to stand before you today in strong, heartfelt support of Bill 36-0114. We stand in firm support of Bill number 36-0114, an act honoring and commending Ms. Dilsa Capteville for her many contributions to the Virgin Islands community, through her roles in various areas of social services and advocacy for abused women and children, to rename the Bolongo Bay Head Start Facility, the Delsa Captivale Head Start Facility, in her honor. Today we are not simply discussing a bill, we are lifting up a woman whose life's work has shaped the very soul of our territory. 1:03:25 We are honoring Ms. Delsa Captivale, a woman whose courage, compassion and vision long before domestic violence was openly discussed. Long before trauma-informed, care became standard practice. Long before victims and survivors had a place to turn, Ms. Delsa Capdeville was already there. She saw the pain that others overlooked. She heard the voices that society tried to silence. And she refused, absolutely refused, to let our community accept abuse as normal or inevitable. 1:04:29 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 7 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro Her work was not just professional, it was personal. It was spiritual, it was transformational. As one of the founders of Family Resource Center, Ms. Capterville built the first safe space for victims and survivors in the Virgin Islands. She created a lifeline, a place where people could walk in broken and walk out believing in the possibility of healing. The first thing I learned about Delsa Captivale, she would take victims whenever they come in and there was a shelter to house victims, she would take them to her parents' house and hide them under her bed. 1:05:13 Wow. But her impact did not stop there. She was a champion for children and she is still a champion for families in the Virgin Islands. A fierce advocate for early childhood education, a member to generations of social workers, counselors and community leaders, a voice for those who had none. Her fingerprints are on every system of care we have today in the Virgin Islands, from crisis intervention to child advocacy to community education the legacy is woven into the fabric of our territory renaming the Bolongo Bay Head Start facility in her honor is not just symbolic it is deeply fitting Miss Captiville believed that the earliest years of a child's life determine the trajectory of their future. She understood that safety, love, and stability in early childhood are the foundation of a healthy community. When children walk into a building bearing her name, they will be walking into a legacy of protection, learning, and hope. And when parents see her name, They will know that this is a place built on the values she fought for, dignity, compassion, and opportunity. 1:05:56 Ms. Capterville taught us that silence is dangerous, that community responsibility is non-negotiable, that we must protect one another, especially our children. Her work continues to guide us at the Family Resource Center every single day. Her spirit is present in every crisis call answered, every survivor supported, every child comforted, and every family given a second chance. Ms. Capterville gave us more than program. She gave us courage and hope, and trust me, she continues to do that. 1:07:25 There's not one week that passed by that, Dilsa, don't call us or send us a text. She hope everything is okay. So, Belsa, I thank you, and may God continue to bless you in every way. Thank you. In closing, for all these reasons that was mentioned by me and the other testifiers, with deep gratitude, I respectfully urge the legislature to pass Bill Number 36-0114. this honor is not only deserved it is necessary it ensures that future generations will know her name understand her impact and continue the work she began thank you for the opportunity to speak Senator Carla Joseph thank you so much you made it a reality and thank you for recognizing a woman who gave her life to the people of the Virgin Islands on behalf of our of our board, our staff, the clientele we continue to serve, I say thank you and all the best to you. We love you and we appreciate you. 1:08:04 Love you too. Thank you. Ms. Garnett. Ms. Good morning, Senator Avery, Senators present and the listening audience. It is with the deepest respect and heartfelt conviction that I am able to come and enthusiastically speak in support of honoring Ms. Dilsa Captaville in the renaming of the Belongo Bay Head Start Center after her for her extraordinary and historic contributions to the children, women and families of the Virgin Islands. There are individuals whose work not only serves a community, but shapes it, whose presence changes the trajectory of countless lives, and whose legacy becomes woven into the very fabric of a place. Dilsa Captaville is unquestionably one of those individuals. For more than three decades, as my fellow testifiers have shared, Dilsa has devoted her life to protecting the most vulnerable among us. As a child abuse specialist and a master licensed social worker specializing in the sensitive critical work of interviewing the children who have endured sexual assault, she has stood at the intersection of trauma and healing, often meeting children in the darkest moments of their lives. This is not simply a profession, it is a calling. Dilsa has carried this calling with extraordinary courage, compassion, and unwavering integrity. Our impact reaches far beyond individual cases. As the founder, as my fellow testifiers have also enlightened again about of KIDSCO, co-founder of the Women's Resource Center, now the Family Resource Center, and co-founder of the Nana Baby Home, these institutions are not merely organizations. They are sanctuaries. They represent safety, advocacy, healing, and hope for thousands across our territory. Because of DILSA's vision and persistence, generations of children and women have had access to support systems that may not have otherwise existed. 1:09:20 Throughout her career, DILSA has worked tirelessly alongside government agencies, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and social services, often around the clock to ensure that children experiencing trauma are met with immediate care and protection. life's work has touched thousands the true measure of her contribution cannot be captured in numbers alone but in the lives restored the voices protected and the futures made possible because she refused to look away from suffering yet what does what makes Dilsa Captaville Captaville even more remarkable is not only what she has done, but who she is. On a personal level, Dilsa has been like a sister to me. An unwavering friend, a confidant, a source of spiritual strength. When I lost my mother, I entered one of the most painful seasons of my life. During that time, Dilsa offered comfort that felt profoundly rare. She She has an extraordinary emotional intuition and spiritual sensitivity that allows her to bring peace to those in grief. Her presence carries a quiet wisdom, and her ability to guide others through sorrow reflects the depth of her compassion and her understanding of the human spirit. This is the same 1:11:39 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 8 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro gift that she brings to the countless children and families she serves, ability to sit with pain, restore dignity, and help others find light again. When I moved to St. Thomas 22 years ago, Dilsa's name was already spoken with reverence in our community. I remember wanting to meet her because her accomplishments felt like those that I had only read about in history or biography books. Even before meeting her, I was in awe of what I considered a modern-day heroine. But knowing her personally, I understand why her reputation has endured her for decades. Her accomplishments are extraordinary, but her resilience is equally inspiring. Even while facing profound hardships, including her divorce, four types of cancer at one time, Dilsa continued to show up for others, steadfast, compassionate, and unwavering in her mission. Ilsa has sacrificed a lot. 1:13:36 Thank you Dr. Prince for highlighting the car situation because now I'm not the only one highlighting her sacrifices. And one of the biggest ways to identify the sacrifice is when you speak to a real estate agent and she called me for assistance with purchasing a house and I understand her financial situation. She has given everything to the Virgin Islands. And to the point I want to start a GoFundMe account and help her buy a house. It is that profound of what she has done. And the naming of this facility is only a small portion of what I believe she should be recognized with because her accomplishments go so far. Dilsa represents the very best of the Virgin Islands, courage, faith, sacrifice, and service above self. Her legacy is not only in the organizations that she has helped build, but in the generations of children who are safer today and the women who have found refuge and healing because she answered a call that few are strong enough to carry. To honor Dilsa Captaville is to honor the highest values of our territory, protection of the innocent, advocacy for the vulnerable, and compassion in action. It is difficult to imagine the Virgin Islands without her relentless dedication, and it is deeply fitting that her life's work be recognized at the highest level. It is my greatest honor to offer my strongest recommendation that Ms. Dilsa Captaville be formally recognized by the government of the United States Virgin Islands with my deepest respect and appreciation. Thank you, Dilsa. 1:14:13 Thank you, Ms. Garnett. Before I go to my colleagues, Ms. Captaville would you like to place some remarks on the Yes, Honorable Chairperson, I would. But I have to be honest and tell you, I didn't write anything down. I know you didn't. I apologize. That's okay. Today's your day. 1:16:12 Today's your day. No problem. Thank you. You're on my time. Good. Go right ahead. Thank you. So I want to start off by saying that I came in here today with the ancestors, not only my parents, people I grew up around, Yvette told you about Tata, we call her grandfather Tata and Arby, but also it's some of the ancestors that have gone on that are responsible for of me being here today, like Gwendolyn Blake, like Alda Monsanto, like Bernie Steele, and I could go on and on. 1:16:42 I realized when Senator Joseph called and said this is what she wanted to do that a profound prophecy that I never even thought about was happening. When I was in the 10th grade in 1965, My mother said, you have to give back to a community that gives to you. And I was like, which community gives to me? So she said, this community. And you have two weeks to decide where you're going to do volunteer work. And of course, at the end of the two weeks, I said to her, I'm not going to change my summer plans. I am over at the Adamses, Finches all day on the tennis court, playing tennis, climbing trees. Anyway, she marched me here, and in those days, the entire social work department was downstairs of this very building. Every time I come here, I'm very moved. 1:17:30 These hollow halls are hollowed halls to me. My mother, on several occasions when she could bring me a sandwich and have lunch, she would come bring me up here, and we would sit in the last row in the back, and she would say, listen to these learned senators. They are molding our community. They are doing laws for our people. And, you know, I mean, Bent Lowett's, Fritz Lowett's, oh Lord, I could go on and on. The machine, Mr. Otley. So at my age of 16, this is where I sat. And one One day she said to me, Dilsa, if you really want to do social work, you have to put yourself about others and you have to treat them the way you would like to be treated. And then she said to me, and maybe if you do it with an open heart, one day they will ask you to come forth here to show what you have done. So that's a prophecy for me that has come forth. I love to serve. I love children. My comeuppance came, I have to tell you, when I went to the morgue to see dead children and women who had been killed. 1:18:29 And I knew I had to do something. Several people talk about selling my cars to get money. I was remembering I got in trouble too, because when one of my husbands would say, would give me money to pay the bills, and somebody needed to pay their rent or something. Our lights, I remember one time our lights were turned off and I'm not gonna tell you which husband, but. But they said, well, I know you paid the bill. And I said, no, I paid it, but I paid it for somebody else. And I feel I'm a force, but let me also say, there's no way one person could have done all of this, but the people that had faith in me. It takes a village. It takes a community. 1:19:50 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 9 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro I might have kept women in my car hiding on the blankets outside my parents' house, outside my own house. But it's the people, the people who I, Anya and her, I said, please have everybody come. Their staff, and I might add, since it's going to be written in the annals here, that Family Resource Center needs money, needs money, needs money, and I want that on the record. That's right. Them senators listening. 1:20:53 But I call them all the time, and I mean, they work all hours. And the fact that a little doc that I started to help women in a car is now Family Resource Center. Kidscope, I started that because there was a little girl, Shaquanna Annette, who was killed, murdered. And I worked with the police. We need to do something differently. 1:21:29 I am honored to be here. I want to acknowledge my parents. I want to acknowledge the police. I've always had the police have my back. Your Senator Norville, Francis, he was commissioner of public safety when he and I used to go on these, I should say, quiet at night trying to go rescue women, trafficking. He was always there for me, and I appreciate that. We are a collective community, and there's much work to still be done. Yes. 1:21:59 And I have to say, Senator Lois, in my dealings with you and in my getting to know you, you're one of the bombs in here. Senator Carla Joseph, who felt, and she kept saying, I did the research, and I said, you researched me? She said, I did the research, so I'm grateful to this body. This is my safe grounds, my spiritual center from the time I was in the 10th grade. So I thank you all. I thank everybody for coming. 1:22:37 I have to tell you, everybody sitting in this audience, in one form or another, have been my greatest teachers. And as a collective, we have much work to continue, and I want to ask that we look out for the children, we look out for the families, and we keep going forward and making our community a place that we all want to live in, and to make things very better than what it is now. So I'm humbled, I'm grateful. The testifiers are my family members. Many people in here I call family. So I thank everybody for coming. 1:23:18 I thank the testifiers. When I was sitting in here, there were about five people. I went to the bathroom and came back, and the whole place was full. so I'm grateful for people who took that time to come I'm also grateful to my children and my grandchildren but to everybody here who has a part in this bill coming to fruition so God bless each of us God bless you all senators God bless our Virgin Islands and God help us the ancestors help us to make it a better place. Thank you so much. Thank you. 1:24:05 I'd like to recognize the presence of non-committee members, Senator Marvin Blyden. Good morning, Senator. Before I go to open the floor to my colleagues for a four-minute round, four-minute round, I'll state the order, Senator Franklin Johnson, Senator Novel Francis Jr., Senator Angel Volquez, Senator Blyden, myself then, Senator Carla Joseph, the bill sponsor. 1:24:45 Senator Franklin Johnson, you're recognized for your four minutes. Good morning. How do you do now? Good morning. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Good morning to my colleagues. Good morning to the testifiers. Good morning to the viewing and listening audience. But before I start, I need for media to span the audience behind me because I keep hearing about them and I ain't seeing them. But I saw a gentleman back there wiping his eyes. And I know this was a very touching moment. So please ask media to give a span of the audience. I really ain't seen that. My audience, your audience. St. Thomas audience. I ain't seen are you? 1:25:25 I seen the suppliers alone. I really want to see the audience in the background that is there. So media, can you give me a span of St. Thomas audience? There we go. Wow. That's a full house. That's a real full house. You know, I want to start off by saying to Miss, a lady that I don't know much about but learned a lot today. And a lot of times in legislature, we get chastised for these type of things. and how do we not how do we not give honors to those that have solved in the manner in which this young lady have solved i definitely want to say thank to the to the sponsor for bringing this measure forward and i was holding myself here at many times just listening to them because it It wasn't easy. 1:25:59 It wasn't easy staying put. But Ms. Capterville, you are a very strong woman. You are a very strong woman. You are the modern day Queen Mary. She definitely is. I was going through this bill and I saw where in 1990, Rotary gave you man of the year award. imagine that that's that says a lot when the rotary recognizes you as man of the year that that that that's volumes and you know just listening to the testifiers them and i was just moved by the motion here just move and and that's a good thing that's a good thing it says that there are people that care there are people that have done everything they can to make sure that others live a better life and have a have a chance and and and you have given it your all i i don't think there's much more that anyone could have acts of you to do with when you listen you you you you take the money and pay somebody else bill that that's that's um that's that's that's that's that's that's touching it's it's hoping that somebody got it with a darkness but somebody else they like but it means that you you you you you care so much about people and and they're living a better life that you are willing to sacrifice yours for others and and and it's not a lot of people do that you know and i i really want to say thank you from the from the depth of my heart one minute for what 1:26:52 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 10 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro you have done for the people of the virgin islands especially those on the island of st thomas who you are did a lot of work with um this this measure that we're passing here today is is very small in comparison to what you have done for the people of this territory and the the sacrifice that you have made this is this this is a drop in the bucket it really is and i just wish we could do so much more for you here today and it it it you know i'm just i'm I'm just touch, I'm move, and I don't get move easy, but this one is really a touching one. And I wanna say again, thank you so much. The name Captaville is a name that I came in contact with in my working in a court and through the Bureau of Correction at different place. 1:28:45 So I needed to ask what are the Captaville's, the two attorneys, if they're a relative of yours. Well, Senator. My good friends know what's coming, but I have to tell you that attorney Andrew L. Captaville is my ex-husband number two. But we grew up together. I first met him when I was eight, and he was seven. He's a wonderful attorney. He's the father of my children. attorney Doug Captaville is a wonderful attorney on St. Croix there was a time that they lived on St. Thomas with their mom but she came to the conclusion that St. Croix was the better place and she took her boys and moved over there but we're good friends, we're still family and I can see that I have to tell you There were bumpy hills and dales and valleys, but now we are good friends and basking in our four grandchildren. 1:29:34 So then I'm going to take a wild guess that the lights are off. When I see him, I'm going to tell him about that. Yes, he's the one that comes playing. There are two fine gentlemen. They surely are. they're two fine gentlemen they surely are I had a lot of interaction with them and we still do from time to time and um you're you're a blessed beautiful person thank you all I could say to you is thank you so much thank you so much for what you have done and what you continues to do make sure you don't have no more light for yourself have a wonderful day but senator I'm gonna be very quick but you asked you wish there's more you can do there is more you could do and i would be remiss if i sit here so close to the sanctum and not say this women resource family resource center need money people every day i get called senator every day when you're opening kids scope again so I am asking that young people I believe in I'm 76 but as my children my children have meetings about me because I'm never home and they said recently we've come to the conclusion that retirement is not in your color wheel it is not. It is not. I hope and pray that the day that I leave this this earth I will have done a full day of work, but for the people, I could see you still got our energy. Yes and I'm humbled by your words, I'm humbled by the senators that hair and all i could say is i'm basking in gratitude i'm basking in gratitude and thank you thank you do you remember which office you've been in because i think my office in the back is the office you've been in a guy's a blessed office you know so i i think i my office behind the wall 1:30:49 on the right please tell me that was the office no my office was downstairs as you go in the lobby You come in, you take a right, and you go down on the eastern side, three doors, and that was my office, and the women that I admired, Gwendolyn Blake, Mrs. Alderman Santo, Dolores Farrelly, I mean I could go on and on, that's why these are hollow, this is a hollow place for me a holy place a sanctuary and um i'm forever god bless you too and all of us here today thank you so much and one day thank you very much one day i hope to meet you and engage in engage in conversation with you regarding my cancer adventure please if i may mr chair i forget to even talk about that we have something in common and You've been 10 years a survivor, and I just started, and it definitely is a voice for men when it comes to prostate cancer. And I'm so glad that you are that voice for women, and it tells people that early detection saves lives. So it's important that you go and do your tests, and you can be standing just like Ms. Captaville, still working just like it's nothing. 1:32:58 Thank you so much for what you have done and what you continue to do. Senator Johnson, I would like you now that you are in the fold of those of us who know that we know to come out and join us in our cancer support groups. And one day we're going to engage in that conversation. Most definitely will. I'm going to put you to work. Most definitely will. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 1:34:19 Thank you. The committee and government operation veterans of their consumer protection stands and recess for three minutes. Thank you. 1:34:47 ¶¶ Thank you. 1:35:47 ¶¶ Me, lo, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. Thank you. 1:36:47 Thank you. Li lo la la li lo lalala Li lo la la li lo lalala Óyame Thank you. Thank you. 1:38:17 The Committee of Government Operation, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection is backed by on the record before we break the last senator was senator Franklin Johnson now we move to senator good good morning mr. chair good morning colleagues good morning to the listening viewing audience good morning central staff uh good morning to the testifying panel here before us in relation to bill 36-0114 uh honoring our honoree here today and good morning to you miss captainville good morning morning morning um i wanted to first mention something because there was a call to 1:40:17 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 11 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro action by Dr. Prince, I believe, in relation to the legislature doing more for child victims and so forth. So I just wanted you to know that in the 35th legislature, as a primary sponsor with the help of my colleagues, we passed bill number 35.0031, which became act number 8923 which is child victims child witnesses rights act which modernized and aligned the virgin islands with national standards and protections uh for children before and during court proceedings because you know that children can be re-traumatized during these court proceedings we incorporated incorporated technology and video conferencing so now our children have a safe space that they are not having to be in front of their aggressor or somebody who did something you know terrible to them so i just wanted you to know that we have been working in that area and we will continue to work in that area so i just wanted to mention that on the record um you know today's a good day um you know i i love to be in these hearings i love to learn about people i love i love to understand our history and um you know the first question i want to ask is uh directly to miss captainville and i might end up asking others as well you know we live in this time now time goes change is something we can't control but in the past in your time you know when you were in in your prime even though you're still in your prime look at you but um you know you you You were a younger person then, and society was different from what it is today. And I am sure that problems obviously existed. 1:42:14 Do you see or find that some of the same issues, even back then, decades ago, are still predominantly affecting our children, specifically our people? Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. And sometimes, I have to tell you, I get very, very irate, but I am of the opinion, and as far as I'm concerned, sexual abuse of children continues to be rampant. Child physical abuse, child emotional abuse. 1:43:34 And it is, I still get calls. Now I'm getting calls sometimes from children that came to my program that are now parents. They're going through a divorce, there's a fight for custody. And this is where I feel our legislature, who does the laws. And I think all of you are very, very good at keeping abreast. But I remember years ago, Senator Celestino White and some others used to always bring me in here at some point to say, give us the state of territory regarding children. Our children should be precious. And as I said, you know, those people who know me when I was young know in many ways I wouldn't open my mouth at all. But you wouldn't believe that looking at me today. But seriously, going to the morgue and seeing dead children, and that's Shaquana in that case, and women who were in hiding or for whatever reason came out, those are important issues we have to address along with health, education. 1:44:11 We should give our children the best of the best that we can offer. I am also very spiritual. I'm also a culture bearer. I'm sitting here next to my good friend and childhood friend who everybody knows that Myron Jackson is the historian, the culture bearer, and we need to carry that. Come in here today, Dr. Aracelis Francis, who's sitting in the background, who was my neighbor when I was a child. She was one of my mentors at the department. One minute. I had to go up a street, up around the field, to get her, because she had parked her car. That upstreet, I hadn't been there in years. And I'm like, oh, my God, remember this, remember that. We need to know our culture, our history, protect our children, and grow. 1:45:26 I totally agree with you. Thank you for asking me that. Yes, and thank you for your response. I appreciate the passion and the honesty and directness in your response. I think it's important that we all remember where we came from. It's a very valuable part of who we are and who we want to be as a society, as a people. And we should work tirelessly to protect our children. So I can speak for myself. I know my colleagues have supported many measures in relation to child support. 1:46:18 But, you know, we don't know about the problems if no one tells us. So I just want to put that out publicly. We're expected to know way more than we actually do. And that's why we have to go to the experts. We have to go to the stakeholders, the ones who do it every single day, to speak with you to communicate to understand so that we can make educated decisions so we thrive when we do that when we communicate thank you and I thank you for what you just said that you you want to note so don't be surprised if next week I come knocking on your door to tell you some of the challenges but thank you for the invitation you're most welcome and Mr. 1:46:53 Chair thank you so much and for the record I just want to say I've signed on to this bill as well and I want to thank the primary sponsor for seeing the vision so thanks again and thank you mr. chair thank you senator Bulkers and you know I'll say this one of the things I'm really glad about and the five testifiers you have here today and even what you contributed this information is being logged. This information is being noted, taken. It's going to be history. Two weeks ago a child had a homework assignment and the parent reached out to me and asked me, Senator, you know that, who is Aswell Harris Court? I said, well, that one we have to Google. And the only thing could They could come up with Aswell Harris court, they had a homicide, they had something. 1:47:36 I call everybody. So I got me against B. And I see the good old culture barrier historian, Mr. St. Thomas. I said, Senator Jackson, who is Aswell Harris court? Aswell Harris. Not court, sorry, Aswell Harris. Man, he steady himself, he look wrong, he said that somebody got, wait, and man, up to now I ain't got a good answer yet, but he walk in an answer for 1:48:33 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 12 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro me. But one thing we know, when we named that building Bovoni, the Delta Capterville Bolongo Head Start, we got a whole book. Children could be writing for day, they don't write number, they'd be typing and chat GPT could fix it up real nice. So Ms. Capterville, and to your testifiers, I thank you for the information you brought forward. Senator Lois, thank you. You know, I don't do this for me because I'm very humble, but if I could leave this place and somebody could say Dilsa Torres captive will pass this way, I will be grateful. Thank you. Thank you. 1:49:25 Thank you for what you do and what you continue to do. Senator Blyden, you're recognized for your four minutes. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. Good morning to my colleagues, listening to you in public, staff, central staff. And good morning, Anya, Yvette, Tanya, Dr. Prince. And good morning, Ms. Captaville, and thank you so much for being here with us today. And thank you for what all of you do on behalf of our people in the territory. First, I want to start by thanking the sponsor, Senator Joseph, for bringing this most important piece of legislation forward. Social work is not easy. 1:49:57 It's personal. and when you do that type of work you must be dedicated and committed to the mission I must say though that all when it comes to Miss Captaville we are happy to have you here I know you're born in New York but we're happy to have the Virgin Islander your Virgin Islander and your work speaks to itself You are the voice of the voiceless. What you have done for thousands of individuals, to include mentorship for many individuals in the field, speaks volumes, and you cannot be paid for that. But there's a little pittance of our love, what we can do on your behalf, to recognize the work you have done. 1:50:35 Thank you. In our community. I know that you have seen a lot of horrible situations. You have assisted in many, many situations and intervened and saved many lives that you do not even know you're saved when you're doing that type of work. But let me ask you, Dota, what assists you in terms of winding down or giving you a balance or basically keeping you sane? What do you do for yourself? Because who counsels you? can you speak to that for me please that's that's a very good question because all of us whether we're in hair psychologists therapists directors whatever we all know those shoemaker children have no shoes correct but i grew up as senator jackson said in a neighborhood that was cohesive we were everybody's children when we got in trouble i remember some of my friends and i there was a Mr. Conrad, who at a grocery store, and we would go in and teeth a lot of his nuts criteria. 1:51:21 And then when my parents found out my mother, she would make me write a letter and go and apologize. And I used to get into a lot of trouble when I was younger, but what sustains me, and I have to tell you, there were times when I was very stressful. yvette spoke about and um tanya about my cancer journey i had four types of cancer the same time i wasn't sure i was ever coming home but i got on my knees and i said god help me to get home and i promise but us having a community having a spiritual not necessarily religious but spiritual beliefs knowing you could go to people this lady here and this one next then a whole lot of people sitting back there sometimes i called and say it's my turn this is my challenge today but we are here to help each other okay very well thank you for asking that no worries oh and one more thing it was the secret that i was born in the bronx i was conceived here but my father and My mother had to go up to the states because my father's mother was sick. 1:52:31 Okay. So I was born in October instead of November, but my mother guaranteed me that my navel string was brought back. Uh-huh. It is buried in my grandmother's grandparents' yard, so I consider me, I am a daughter of this soil. Doug, thank you for that. I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Thank you. And before, before my time, before my time, my time was called, Mr. Chair, but I have one more? You may proceed, Senator. You may proceed. I know for myself and my colleagues, I know we are not counselors, but we counsel people every day. And many times when I have situations and I go home at night, I'm like, what can I have done differently to actually change or assist or do something better? And sometimes it keeps you up at night, if you really care. What, do you have any regrets in terms of any situation that you dealt with that you felt a type of way or you don't have any regrets well i'm human so lord knows i have regrets but i use them as lessons and as i said earlier everybody in this room you senators that i know have been my greatest greatest teachers some of the children that i rescued have been my greatest teachers and we are here to climb my grand my grandmother my mother's mother was had her roots in tortola and people want to look at my light skin i said well there's a reason for that my father was clear skin from puerto rica my grandmother she used to say i am black like the ace of spades but she told me from the time i was seven about butthole the slaves coming over what we have to do as community and i i take all of that very serious i was very lucky to have mentors within the department of social welfare um i mentioned dr francis back there i mentioned alicia benjamin who she's deceased now but so many of the women that molded me 1:53:46 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 13 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro i will be eternally grateful but as community there should be love and going the extra mile And sometimes, when I'm, Senator Kane McGrath, somebody mentioned him. One day I was in this hall talking about the children, and I got a call from Dr. Littell, the pathologist, all he could say is miscaptable, come. And I, sitting here, said to the senators, I am going, and I ain't gonna tell you who the senator is then, but I am going to the morgue to see a dead child, come with me. But thanks again. Thank you for your work. Thank you for your responsibility, and thank you for all the work that all of you do on behalf of our people of the territory. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, for the time. Thank you. Thank you. 1:55:50 Senator Jackson, let me ask you a question for the audience. What all constitutes upstreet? Well, the boundaries of upstreet are technically the King's Court of Charlotte, Amity. We define Upstreet, and when I say we, we from Upstreet organization have addressed this issue. And through the works of the late Dr. Ruth Molina, through her book, Legacies of Upstreet, we've defined the boundaries. The most northern boundaries would be hospital ground or hospital estate, which goes all the way up from the waterfront to the Valamo Hill Drive, right, which is Skyline Drive, because hospital ground goes all the way up to the top of that. High Grim Terrace and then go up the Up Street. 1:56:34 To include Lytton's Fancy, to include Blackbeard's Castle, that quarter of King's Quarter to the post office, include the Emancipation Garden, Fort Christian, Veterans Drive, Lovers Lane, Polyburg, Maddenburg, to include a missing estate, Ross Estate. Those are the boundaries of Up Street. Thank you. And where Down Street is? 1:57:37 Downstreet would start from 75 corner, which is the Inspector General's office, across from the Catholic Church playground. It would go west to include the... It goes outside the boundary, so to speak, of Charlotte-Armley, which includes the Western Cemetery. It would go as far as the end of Cemetery No. 3. Yes. Thank you. Mommy, we make it in Upshrie. We from Palibog. Good. I get it. 1:58:04 Senator Carla Joseph, you're recognized. But before I go any further, let me just explain something here today. That was lost in the boat. Senator Carla Joseph is going to be here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. something here today. Senator Carla Joseph is going to speak and normally we would go to address the bill. Since we only have three senators present in the committee, you have to wait. There's a groundbreaking in St. Croix. So Senator Gittins and Senator Francis, Novel Francis Jr. had to attend and Senator Ray Fonseca and Senator Heiliger isn't present as yet. 1:58:40 If one of them was to happen to show up while Senator, one of them, while Senator Joseph is speaking, then we could vote. Other than that, we'll go directly to the next bill, which is Bill 36019, an act honoring and commending Detective Delbert Phipps, Jr. We'll just keep it going, and as soon as we get a quorum, we'll take action on everything one day. 1:59:31 Thank you, Senator. Just to update you. Senator Carla Joseph, Bill Sponsor, you're recognized. Thank you so kindly, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank all of you for coming and taking time out today to be here for this juggernaut. That's what she is, a juggernaut, a champion, a trailblazer who carries a humble disposition and she's loving and kind as well for this honor. This bill has been in the works for a while, trust me. And I had initially looked at just giving her an honor from a black. I had another bill to rename that same facility in honor of another great lady. Her name is the Honorable Jewel Malloy. And I had preempted one of my colleagues in naming this facility in her honor, And he said she would like it to be named this, the nude Hansen, to be named in her. And I said, okay, that's more fitting. That's no problem. If you want to name it that, I have somebody else. Because I'm looking at persons in our community who have sacrificed, who have remained vigilant. 1:59:59 And I'm not just talking about vigilant during their time providing services where they were getting money, but even after that when they retire. I love a scripture. I'm spiritual as well. And one of the scriptures that comes to mind when I think about Miss Captaville is Galatians 6. It reads and states, So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just time, at just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Ms. Captaville never gave up on our young people, and our children, our women, those who were in need. She never did. 2:01:33 And I saw her work firsthand when I managed a program for underserved and at-risk young people. I needed a counselor because the young people they were being, they had some major traumas. And I was not equipped to deal with it. And my staff, my team were not equipped to see me driving down to Kidscope in my personal vehicle to take them to Miss Captaville, Kidscope, call her up and say, we need to have a discussion with this young person about these issues that they are experiencing so I could get them to refocus to achieve their goal, which was to earn their high school diplomas and place them in job because their home life was severely, severely traumatized. And she never turned me away. That's Ms. Dilsa Captaville. And so I know the work as a social scientist. I know what she has done. I really want to give all of you, especially those in the audience, great kudos for the work you do. and don't get weary you know i have a great mentor and she said her name is irma f hodge and she would tell me kala when you get into this type of work you're not doing it for the money you're doing it for the heart social scientists is what keeps our one community afloat While I have 2:02:27 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 14 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro my one minute left, which I probably will go on to more, I want to ask Ms. Dr. Prince, you're sitting next to me, and ask you what was the catalyst, because we're going to need some more soldiers in this field, more soldiers in the field to do this work. Okay, what was that catalyst? And then I'll ask the same question of you, Ms. Stewart, to drive you to enter into this field of work, being a psychologist, and to see the level of trauma that our people face, and especially young children and mothers, women, and even men, even men face. What was that catalyst? And how DILSA played a role in it, of course. Well, my journey is a little bit odd because in some way, shape, or form, since I was six years old, I wanted to be a psychologist. At first, it was a little nonsensical. Psychologist and assassin, psychologist and FBI agent. But in time, I wanted to become a psychologist and a lawyer. But during the time that I shadowed a criminal lawyer, we were at a maximum security facility, and his client at that time was an individual who had committed some very heinous crimes that that included against children. 2:04:36 And I remember I sat and listened to his story, and part of me said at some point in time, he could have been saved. You know, at some point in time, he experienced his own trauma that was so significant that it warped his mind, and he became the monster that hurt him. And so I turned a lot of my time and attention then to early intervention, to child psychology, and, of course, I always loved communications and the media. So that point in time when I interviewed Ms. Captaville during Child Abuse Awareness Month was a turning point because that allowed me to focus on that specific area of forensics and notice that there's a huge gap there. And Ms. Captaville's always been so open and so direct and guided me, not just in learning the aspects of the field and how to conduct a forensic interview and how to deal with law enforcement, and how to help with the healing process, but also how to take care of myself, and the importance of understanding that we are connected as human beings mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and what happens in one area impacts the other. In our community right now, and with KidsCope not being fully operational, we do have a gap in services because the issues have not gone away. the issues have not gone away and the system is strapped it was strapped then and it's more strapped now and even though in my day to day life I'm in the service I'm helping, I'm teaching our kids at the university I'm having the pleasure of working with children with families, with adults in the psychological field through the healing process there's still so much work that has to be done 2:05:28 and so committed team. Dilsa and I, we talk often about how to kind of re-approach things and to fill these gaps, but there's a need for support. And now, Ms. Stewart, if you'll be so kind. Okay. My passion was to become a nurse, but when I relocated to the Virgin Islands, I was abused, really beaten down. My eyes was tearing with blood. 2:07:16 I had to wear glasses and wear long sleeves because I was so ashamed and embarrassed. But today I'm a survivor. Amen. And I am thriving. And I will always thank Women's Resource Center. They were Women's Resource Center at the time. at the time, and when I saw that the social workers, they were so passionate, they were so loving, they would always check on me, Anya, are you okay? Are you sure? Do you need a place to stay? We have a shelter. I was like, no, I'm okay, but the counseling did a number on me. That's why today I am here helping as much as I can. I don't have a degree in social work, but trust me, I'm a social worker at heart. And I thank champions champions like Dilsa Captaville who started it and today I'm here to continue the work you started in Dilsa. I appreciate you and I will always tell you how much I love you. 2:07:52 Thank you and I love you too. Thank you. May I just run? Thank you so much Mr. Chairman. I really want to say that I'm very impressed with Ms. Captaville and I will continue to do my very best and I know my colleagues also will to do their very best in support of issues that surround our young people, our children who are being abused, women, men, just people and a whole because the work that you do is very critical. Thank you so much Mr. Chairman. Thank you, and I'd like to recognize the presence of Senate President, Senator Milton Potter, and the presence of committee member, Senator Alma Francis Heiliger. 2:08:49 Good morning. Please mark Senator Heiliger as present and give me a new tally, please. Mr. Chair, you have two members absent and five members present. No. For Novell. 2:09:40 Yes, Novell was present. That's correct. Thank you. Senator Milton Potter, you're recognized for your foreman. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Good morning, colleagues, and a special good morning to the lady of the hour, my friend Ms. Dilsa Captaville, as well as the testifiers who have honored us with their presence here this morning. And as Senate President, I'd like to really add my voice to this recognition with one observation. Ms. Captaville did not wait for legislation to act. She didn't wait for legislation to act. 2:10:15 She built the task forces, she built the training programs, she built the advocacy centers, she built the coalitions, and she built this that eventually became the legislation that we have on the books today. She's a reminder that most transformative things don't necessarily happen with an army of people. It starts with one person who refused to accept the status quo. And that is Ms. Dilsa Capitaville. She's a fighter. She doesn't accept no. She will find a way to make things 2:10:54 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 15 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro right, find an angle to make things better. I remember I taught part-time courses at UVI, counseling program. And every year, without fail, I invited Bilsa Captaville to come by to meet our students, students to talk about her personal experiences, and it was always something that was electrifying. Something that took, I think the class usually left, it was a two hour class, and after maybe about 45 minutes, the students would get restless. But when Dilsa Captiville came, it was always operating on overtime. We were there for two hours and then some. Her presentations were real, real. They were just talking about the experiences that she encountered in her many years in this community. We are honored and we're blessed to have someone of her caliber here with us. And she's still walking. She is still walking. I wanted to ask the first question to Ms. and you started this journey, I think, at age 15? 2:11:49 Actually, I was 16 and in the 10th grade in 1965. So I think this is my 62nd year. What would you say drew you to this work at such a young age? One minute. Well, I didn't draw myself. My mother said, you're going to go and work in this community, because this community is given to you. And I said, I don't want to do that. But she had me dress up with a Bobby Sox, white dress, hat, gloves, and brought me down here. Sorry, brought me down to this building to social welfare downstairs. And within three weeks, I was a goner. 2:13:08 I got a journal writing, I'm going to save the children of the world. And I mean, you know, in my naiveness as a 16-year-old. But a lot of my foundation came from my mother bringing me up here when she could, and me coming, eating a little sandwich in the back. And actually, I brought a sandwich today for memories. But to listen to the senators and how powerful, how they cared about our people. And I always admire, I listen a lot on the radio. 2:13:57 Sometimes I turn on my TV and I listen to what's happening here. And this is my sacred place. I'm 76. At my age, I can give blessings. So I bless each and every one of you sitting in this place. It's tough, but you all are carrying on. And I want to encourage young people, the young people we have here, like Angelina Prince. I'm so proud, so proud of her that God allowed me to be an impact in her lives. And so many, all the people, as I said in the back, have inspired me. They have been my greatest teachers, and I am grateful. 2:14:31 I'm sitting here today, I've been trying not to get emotional, but I remember sitting in the back with my mother in 1965 and seeing the operation here so I come I commend you all it continue continues like a pebble that was was put in the lake it continues to go out but I'm grateful to be here for all of you thank you I want to ask just if I may mr. chair one final question proceed senator about the fact that you thought domestic violence awareness to virgin Miles Police Department recruits. 2:15:14 I want to ask you a little bit about that. What would you say you wanted these recruits to know and to understand, above all else, about how to respond to victims of domestic violence and child abuse? That's a very good question. And I want to tell you years ago, I used to teach at the police academy for many years. And I was able to, and I talk a lot, as everybody in here know by now, I talk. But I used to take the people that wanted students and talk to them one by one. And I remember going to the supervisor down there, and I said, there's a woman in here that wants to be a police officer. I said, but you all need to take her out of this program. And from how she said and why she wanted to be one, she said to defend herself against her husband. I was invited to be a speaker at the graduation at St. Peter and Paul. 2:15:50 Three days after I went to them and I spoke to her, her husband killed her. Wow. But I have to tell you, there are two police officers here. A lot of police were on my child abuse board, was on my kid's scope. They used to do the forensic interviews with me. And you have two police that I saw back there. One, his name is Real Donistar. I've known him since he was, I grew up with his father. But he stuck with us. He used to be there. And I think Cleo is back there as well. But those two police, most of the police force, when I have to go out, my first line of defense is taking the police. 2:16:55 But our police need to be trained. Critical training. And we need to have a support system and stay connected. Rael knows. Ten times a week I say, Rael, I need your help. But they are there. And it's a continuum. But to have good police, you need to train them. You need to also scrutinize them because in the classes that I taught, I recognize young officers who I knew just from what they shared that they came from abusive families. One police officer, when I said, why do you want to be a police officer? He said to carry a gun and to have the authority to do what I want. 2:17:40 So I went and said, you need to pull them out. So we have to be very, like the onion, we got to pull it back piece by piece. But I know there are police officers that saved my life. Because there were times, I remember there was one man who was following me down the waterfront and was trying to push my car over the waterfront. Somebody came to my office with a gun. Somebody called the police and told them. And when they came to my door and was able to get the person out of the building, they are the best of the best, but we have to train them. 2:18:24 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 16 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro The same way you all get training to be senators, the best of the best we all should be the best of the best and the mentors I had the people that helped me the people in the back I keep saying who were my greatest teachers I hope to follow they were great teachers for me and I want to be a great teacher for others but we all up this is our community Ms. Catherville, thank you very much for your lifetime of service here to this community. I'm honored to have been a co-sponsor of this initiative also. 2:19:01 Mr. Chair, thank you very much for the flexibility. Thank you, Senate President Potter. Senator Francis Heiliger, you're recognized for your foreman. Thank you. Good day to my colleagues. Good day to the people of the territory. Good day to here in the audience. I think this is a I actually I was talking to some constituents before I got here so I was a little late and I was like I gotta get here I gotta get here because I really wanted to make sure I was here to have this conversation and dialogue because you you have been a great motivator to me as well Ms. Captaville and um one of the things I I love doing is when you know when you would call to come on the radio i told my husband anytime she wants to come let her come on because thank you that's community service allowing her to utilize the airways to get a message out that is community service and i have always been appreciative of what you've done for this community especially to those that are the least the helpless among us that needs that help And one of the things I had wrote a note about when you were talking had to do with sensitivity training that I do believe some of the officers and other people that are the first responders to some of these incidents, they do require them. And whether we as a legislature have to put funding towards that to make sure that certain those individuals get the training they need. 2:19:41 I think that is so important because if you are a victim, the last thing you need is somebody showing up, almost acting as if it's your fault. The last thing you need. And I've seen that attitude. I've seen that type of behavior. We're like, oh, she deserve it anyway. Well, if she didn't go out on stealth. But I've seen that mentality, and we have to come away from that, from almost blaming the victim for what is being done to them. And it takes people like you that stand in the gap from abusers and victims to make sure that they have a pathway to some kind of semblance of a positive future. And I appreciate you for that more than you know. Thank you. um and i i i want to say to you what motivated you to stay in this so long because you have to i i you're saying from the age of 16 up until 71 and i can't imagine the things that you've seen in your lifetime well i'm i'm thank you for saying i'm 71 i wish but i'm actually 76 oh i thought you No. But, you know, a lot of a lot of some of my classmates, all my sisters except me, they went to college, they stayed abroad. But I, the day I graduated, I came back like within the month. I had promised my mother, but I knew she said, you come home and help us. her reference was always senators i mean she always said look at them look at their dedication and i i made a promise i came back and i i've been here i've been back i mean i have spent two and a half years at the cancer treatment center but i said jesus if i was on my knees if you get me home i'm going to really work harder good for that and i have to commend you because through radio station and your husband we are on the air twice a month okay and the people that call in our cancer support groups are filling up because of the dialogue and a lot of men call up too because our men had if they have cancer they don't want to tell you but that is something we need to 2:21:15 address excellent and and I love to get on my stool and talk about environmental cancer it's killing us. But that's for another time. If you invite me back, I have a whole big envelope full of how that is affecting us here. Excellent. Well, we welcome you. Could I just ask my last question, please? Thank you. What kind of legacy would you like to leave behind? What do you want us to always remember or know you for? To know me for somebody who loved her islands more than anything, loved them enough to make it a career to make things better for children, families, our community. 2:23:34 And I didn't, you know, one time I was interviewing, there was a little girl I was working with that had been molested and she was in front, in court, trying to give her testimony and the opposing lawyer was harping on her. And I had prepared her, because I do energy work, which finger to hold, don't listen to what the other attorney's going to say. And he upset her. So she said, look, I know if the devil drag me into hell, Ms. Capitaville will come in to fight him to get me out. And I think that was one of the best definitions. But we need to fight for each other. you all do it here very well you have to fight for the community fight for the children fight for the environmental cancer that is in this place so many people two weeks three weeks ago we had a good friend who we lost a battle with cancer yeah so there's so much to be done so much so much to be done and I appreciate you bringing these to the forefront so the community could know that we need to engage more. We need to know what's happening so we could do better. So thank you Mr. Chair for the additional time. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much. 2:24:25 Thank you. I'd like to recognize the presence of committee member Senator Ray Fonseca and non-committee member Senator Clifford Joseph. Senior, Senator Joseph, you're recognized for your four minutes. Thank you Mr. Chair. And good morning to the listening public, good morning to the testifiers, and good morning to our Honourable here this morning, Delta. Good morning. I will first say to you, being a social worker, you helped children yesterday, and then it's today's adults. 2:25:40 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 17 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro So to help, although a lot of us are focused on social work, working with children, as long as you've been around, you work with children that became parents and became adults, and I'm sure that you met some along the way that you helped as a child and maybe had to guide again as an adult. Would that be a true statement? I think it would, yes. Okay, good. 2:26:23 And I'll ask, since you said you did training with the police department, did you come on St. Croix and deliver the same training for the individuals here on St. Croix? Senator, I didn't go over there to train them at an academy, but for many years when St. Croix had cases of sexual abuse and there was no kid scope over there, I would go over and do the forensic interviews with the officers. It's still a dream of mine that on St. Croix, the police academy, can do training. And I know training is done here and there. But when I think of training, I mean getting on your knees, putting your hands in the dirt, and say, I'm taking this on. So as far as I'm concerned, there might be training, but a whole lot of stuff is still lacking for us. And you know, when I started Kids Scope, and especially after that little girl was killed, I said, God, I don't know how this is going to manifest, but I put on the first Caribbean conference on child sexual abuse. 2:26:49 As Senator Carl Joseph said, 600 people came from all over the Caribbean, the United States. I had speakers all over the place. I couldn't afford to pay them. But I went to the airline, and they paid all the speakers. They gave them free tickets. So you have to be innovative enough to know that you could take a rock and hit it and get some water out of it. If you trust and if you believe. But we could do anything we put our minds to. Anything. And sometimes days I had to walk into hell, but I went with ancestors, the creator, and angels. Somebody talked about angels. When I opened Kidscope, and this is going to sound very, well, I hope you believe it, spiritual witches is. When I opened Kidscope, for the 29 years Kidscope was open, every Monday or by Wednesday, people brought angels. 2:27:58 The place was full of angels. One minute. We gave them to the kids. But we have, as I said, work to do and it is not impossible, but if we're going to save lives and women and children and men too, because I've had so many male clients who were abused by their partners or their wives or whatever, but that's an issue we need to deal with. and I'm going to say again, environmental cancer, because hopefully, I'm hoping that Senator Johnson will take on my offer to work so he could join our foals to deal with this cancer that is taking us out rapidly. 2:28:55 I think he will. But I thank you already for helping a lot of the local guys break the silence and the cancer as well, because that's important. I heard you mention it, and that's very important. and you're getting them to open up and actually conversate on their problem. So you're all spiritual. Every time you use the word spiritual, I feel the vibe is on this side. So ain't everybody that I feel that said is spiritual is spiritual, but in your case, an apostle that I don't know, and you use the word spiritual, and I could feel it over here as I sit, I will say to you, I pray that God continues to give you good help for you to continue doing what you're doing for this community. I receive it. And have yourself a wonderful day. 2:29:40 I receive it. I receive it. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Joseph. Senator, uh-huh. Senator Novo Lee Francis Jr., you're recognized. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and good morning to my colleagues. Good morning, certainly to Ms. Dilsa Captaville, and good morning to the people of the Virgin Islands. I couldn't help myself. And as I participated in another event earlier this morning, a groundbreaking ceremony, it was important for me to come back, rush back here, because I've had the opportunity to work with Ms. Captaville for a number of years. And there is no one, in my opinion, more deserving of this recognition than Ms. Delsa Captaville. Again, her social work, I've served on a child abuse task force. Certainly the engagement and interaction over the years has been critical and very important. She paved the way for so many of us in law enforcement and public service. It's certainly commendable. we stand on shoulders as we have confronted many many situations together her blood sweat and tears um certainly is reflected on today because i know of some of those difficult moments some of those painstaking assignments that we have had and and certainly i i truly believe she's very much deserving of this this reality of being able to commend her and she could be to be able to enjoy her flowers while she's alive. 2:30:27 Ms. Captaville, good morning, how are you? Good, thank you, how are you? I think you are at your other function, but I mentioned when you were commissioner, you and I did a lot of covert operations that your staff didn't know, I wasn't telling anybody, but to rescue young women on this island, and I appreciate it so. So I want to commend you for that, and you were a wonderful commissioner, and you helped rescue a lot of our, especially our women, who were in not-so-good situations, and thank you for your kind words about me. I appreciate it. 2:32:07 Certainly, again, I believe that people don't understand the gravity of public service in this community, and a lot of it we can't even talk about. A lot of times I like to ask people what keeps them up at night. But what keeps me up at night is those situations that we have had to confront. And we're unable to speak about those things because, again, they're all in private setting. They have all been done from our hearts. So lest we forget the many families that we have been able to secure. 2:32:50 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 18 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro And I get very emotional because I'm reflecting on some of those assignments that we have had over the years. And I just want to really thank you for your compassion. Thank you for your stick-to-itiveness. Thank you for all the work that you have done here. Today is just a small, small token. A small token of what you deserve. I'll tell you that this community is totally indebted to you for your contribution over the year. And we truly appreciate the work that you have done. 2:33:23 I just wanted to ask you, what made you, again, commit the sacrifices that you have given for this community? If you could just put it on the record, please. I really, I don't think I had early on a lot to do with it. The people that I think had to do with it, the creator, my mother, who was the first nurse anesthetist in the territory that trained Dr. Snyder and men at the hospital, and Gwen Blake, Ms. Gwendolyn Blake because of course I was 16 but I knew I had to respect my mother so they were taking me down a road that I wanted to go back on the tennis court over to Adam's house but I know it's a spiritual journey and I know and I shared earlier the prophecy that I know that they and the Creator had a lot to do with it, but I know I became very spiritual and I listened. And it's humbling. 2:33:56 If I could help somebody, then that is my duty to do, because I don't want children and families and people in our community to go through what I know others have gone through. Some survived, others didn't. Thank you very much. want to commend the bill sponsor and this particular piece of legislation because I think it's long overdue. It's very much well deserved. I commend her for bringing this bill forward, and I'm happy to be in a position to vote in the affirmative because I believe that you're very, very much deserving of this recognition. I pray that God continue to bless you and bless this community. Thank you very much for the work that you have done, Ms. Dilsa-Captaville. Your blood, sweat and tears is certainly reflected today in your contribution to the people of the Virgin Islands. Territory-wide, no borders, no boundaries. Territory-wide. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, for the time and opportunity. 2:35:04 Thank you, Senator. Thank you, Senator Navalny-Francis, Jr. Senator Ray Fonseca, you're recognized. Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair, and good morning colleagues and all of the listening and audience and those in the Earl B. Otley Chambers, good morning. Dilsa Comfortville, blessings, good morning to the whole distinguished panel. And I too would like to congratulate the Madam Rules Chair on this bill. I have signed on as a co-sponsor. This is a vote that I couldn't miss in the process of burying my aunt. So we just finished the church. We're going out to the burial ground. And I have to go there. Condolences. 2:35:58 Thank you. But I can't miss this vote. I know you well, and I know your integrity. I just wanted you to discuss one important item that it shows to your integrity. I remember there was an issue where you had refused government funding because it compromised the integrity of some, can you give us the details of that? Yes, that is correct. When I first opened Kids Scope, I was getting money from the Law Enforcement Planning Commission. You know, you had to fill out reports quarterly, and you had to go and let them know how you were working the money to the penny. Maria Brady was down there at the time, and you had to account for every penny. But they said to me one day during, when I took my reports in, that they are changing some of the rules and the regs. And I had to sign off on it, so I said, I'm not going to sign it now, I'm going to take it to the office and peruse it, and I had our attorney, Veronica Handy, who was on our board, at it, and I got very, sorry, very annoyed, and I went down there the next day and interrupted the director and his meeting, and I said, I'm not signing this, and as far as I'm concerned, you could take this paper and you can put it where the sun don't shine. 2:36:46 I hope that's not on the record. I said to him, I'm not taking this money because it doesn't work for me, for my program, for the children and families. And I was like, Lord, how am I going to manage? But I had to do that because I didn't want them telling me what to do when they didn't understand what my program was about. And they weren't willing to work with me to see what we could work out. Dr. Alfred Heath came to my rescue. He was on my board. Somebody called and told him. And the next day, He walked in with a check for $20,000. 2:38:23 And I said, Dr. Heath, I can't take your money. He said, I'm on the board. I can tell you what to do. So I said, we'll pay you back. One minute. The next day, a lady that I had helped, her mother had died. She was living here. She was working in a restaurant as a waitress. I didn't know until her husband came in saying she had very bad cancer. but she was from one of the very rich multi-millionaire families in the States she had done her will and he brought a check for $50,000 so when you trust God and you know your cause is of the almighty and you want betterment for people and as I said I would go to the ends of the earth I sold my car I took monies that I was given them by my spouse to pay a bill and pay somebody else's bill. But to me, people need to know you're there for them, you're support for them. You're going to be honest with them, you're going to tell them the truth, and you're going to work with them. 2:38:59 Time. compromise the mission of Kidscope and the organization. So I definitely am supporting this and I, like I told Mr. Chair, I cannot miss this vote. Thank you for the time, Mr. Chair. 2:40:05 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 19 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro Thank you, Senator. Do I have a motion? Motion. You're recognized, Senator Carla Joseph. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman and colleagues, I moved that bill number 36-0, 114, an act honoring and commending Dilsa Captaville for her many contributions to the Virgin Islands community through her roles in various areas of social services and advocacy for abused women and children, and to rename the Bolongo Bay Head Start facility as the Dilsa Captaville Head Start Facility, in her honor, be voted upon favorably in the Committee on Government Operations, Veteran Affairs, and Consumer Protection, and be forwarded to the Committee on Rules and Judiciary for further action and consideration. I so move. 2:40:36 Second, second. Bill number 36.0114, and act honoring and commending Delsa Captaville for her many contributions to the virginal community through her roles in various areas of social services and advocacy for abused women and children to rename the Bolongo Head Start facility. Delsa Captaville Head Start facility has been moved by Senator Carla Joseph, seconded by Senator Ray Fonseca, Senator Alma Francis-Heiliger, Senator Novell E. Francis, Jr., roll call. Senator Ray Fonseca? Yeah. Senator Fonseca? 2:41:46 Yeah. Senator Novell E. Francis, Jr.? Yeah. Senator Francis, Jr., yeah. Senator Alma Francis-Heiliger? Yes. Senator Francis-Heiliger? Yeah. Senator Kenneth L. Gittins? Senator Gittins, absent. Senator Franklin D. Johnson? Yes. Senator Johnson, yay. Senator Collard J. Joseph? Yes. Senator Joseph, yay. Senator Avery L. Lewis? 2:42:29 Yes, for Ms. Captaville. Senator Lewis, yay. Mr. Chair, you have six yays, one absent. Thank you very much, Madam Clerk. Bill number 36-0114, an act honoring and commending DELSA Captaville for her many contributions to the Virgin Islands community through her roles in various areas of social services and advocacy for abused women and children to rename the Bolongo Head Start facility. The DELSA, the DELSA Captaville Head Start facility has been voted upon favorably in this committee, Government Operation Veterans Affairs and Consumer Protection and will be forwarded to the Committee of Rules and Judiciary favorably for further action and consideration before I pong the gavel be sorry before I pong the gavel Madame Clerk please recognize Senator Gittins Senator Gittins do you have a vote on this measure point of personal privilege no no no no no no no either you're vote in I gave you the opportunity to vote oh yes Mr. Chair thank you I'm not sure I just walked in I apologize so I'm trying to figure out where we're at so if I still have an opportunity to vote thank you vote is absolutely yes yes Madam Clerk give me a new tally Mr. Chair you have seven thank you thank you thank you thank you to my colleagues thank you to Miss Captaville thank you so before we exit Miss Captaville would you like to put Some closing remarks on the record, please. 2:43:02 You're going to trust me to be brief. Yes. Okay. All I can say is thank everybody, all the senators that voted yes, all of the people I know that came out and that this place was so packed. I'm honored and humbled to now have a place to, I could drive by every day and go unannounced to make sure things are going as they should. But I want to thank you all, each and every one of you senators who have dedicated your time and your life to helping us improve the islands. I will eternally be grateful. And now that many of you have given us an open invitation, we're going to come calling and see what we can do to help. 2:45:05 Thank you. And Nandi, it's good to see you. Yes. Point of personal privilege, Senator Kenneth Gittins. thank you uh and good afternoon to all i wanted to apologize to miss captainville that i wasn't here earlier but i definitely tried my best to get here and i see my colleague got here before me i wonder what route he took but i wanted to say a big thank you uh to you as well because i remember you while I was at the police department, while I worked territorially, and your name is just synonymous with being a true advocate, especially for young victims, and I just want to say a big thank you, and I just wish that we had a lot more hearts like yours in this community. We will be in a much better place. Again, thank you for your service to the people of this territory thank you mr chair for the time thank you senator thank you uh dr prince ms garnett senator jackson sorry i won't say potter they got the same barber senator jackson ms finch ms stewart thank you for coming here today i'd like to thank everyone for showing up in support of ms delsa capterville ms capterville trust and believe i see they paved the road out there so you got a good road for now the building will be a brand spanking new state at the heart head start they might even put in a pool and we could check it out but i thank you for your services service and what you continue to do the committee on government operation veterans affair consumer protection stands and recess for five minutes Thank you. 2:45:55 We'll be right back. Thank you. 2:48:17 Thank you. Thank you. 2:49:17 ¶¶ Thank you. Thank you. 2:50:17 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 2:51:47 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 20 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro Thank you. Thank you. 2:53:47 Thank you. Thank you. 2:54:47 Thank you. so Thank you. 2:55:47 Thank you. ¶¶ Thank you. 2:57:17 People named in this transcript SUSPECTED, and a finding aid only. Names were matched by machine against the spellings used across all 426 of our transcripts, and the title is the one used in the room. Being named here is NOT evidence that a person attended or spoke · only that the name was said. Speech recognition mishears names, so a spelling may be wrong even where no alternative is offered. 23x Senator Carla Joseph the surname alone also matches: Clifford Joseph; Karla J. Joseph heard in this transcript as: Carl Joseph, Carla J. Joseph, Joseph 13x Senator Avery Lewis heard in this transcript as: Avery L. Lewis, Lewis, Lois 12x Senator Novelle Francis heard in this transcript as: Aracelis Francis, Francis, Francis Jr, Francis Jr., Novel Francis Jr, Novell E. Francis Jr 11x Senator Alma Francis-Heyliger the surname alone also matches: Alma Francis Heiliger heard in this transcript as: Alma Francis Heiliger, Alma Francis-Heiliger, Francis Heiliger, Francis-Heiliger, Heiliger 11x Senator Ray Fonseca heard in this transcript as: Fonseca 9x Senator Franklin D. Johnson heard in this transcript as: Franklin Johnson, Johnson 9x Senator Kenneth L. Gittens heard in this transcript as: Gittins, Kenneth Gittins, Kenneth L. Gittins 5x Senator Myron Jackson heard in this transcript as: Jackson 4x Senator Marvin Blyden heard in this transcript as: Blyden 3x Senator Milton E. Potter heard in this transcript as: Milton Potter 2x Senator Angel L. Bocas Jr 2x Senator Angel L. Bolques, Jr. heard in this transcript as: Angel L. Bolques Jr., Angel Volquez 2x Senator Clifford Joseph 2x Senator Collar J. Joseph the surname alone also matches: Carla Joseph; Clifford Joseph heard in this transcript as: Collard J. Joseph Bills and acts referred to Matched by number against our own acts corpus. The number is what the recognition heard, so it may be wrong; where it resolved, the title is the one the Legislature gave the act. Bill 36-0114 Act 9094 · An act honoring and commending Dilsa Capdeville for her many contributions to the Virgin Islands community through her roles in various areas of social services and advocacy for abused women and children and naming the head start facility known as the Bolongo Bay Head Start Facility the ·Dilsa Capdeville Head Start Facility· in her honor Act 8923 Act 8923 · October 16, 2024 · An Act amending title 5 Virgin Islands Code, subtitle 3, part I, by adding a new chapter 301A, creating the Child Victims· and Child Witnesses· Rights Act and repealing title 5 Virgin Islands Code, chapter 301, subtitle 3, section 3510 BE | wees Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 21 of 22 Legislature USVI · Committee on Government Operations, Veterans Affairs and Consumer Pro Act 9094 Act 9094 · An act honoring and commending Dilsa Capdeville for her many contributions to the Virgin Islands community through her roles in various areas of social services and advocacy for abused women and children and naming the head start facility known as the Bolongo Bay Head Start Facility the ·Dilsa Capdeville Head Start Facility· in her honor Referred to but not found in our acts corpus: Bill 36-0191, Bill 36-0019 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 22 of 22