Welcome to the Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Meet the Team
Antonio Emanuel
Executive Director
The current Executive Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. He has been in that position for about two years and has assembled an amazing team that is attempting to tackle the violence in our territory by focusing on keeping our young people alive, healthy, and out of prison.
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Mr. Emanuel is a product of two cities: Washington DC and Christiansted, St. Croix. While his roots are deeply embedded here in the Virgin Islands, Tony was raised in Washington D.C., graduating from the DC public school system, and later attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Psychology and Human Services.
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During and after college he served in the United States Marine Corps. After the service to the country Tony joined the Montgomery County Maryland Police Department and served in the department moving through the ranks retiring as a Deputy Commander. During his time in the department, he served in several capacities working in Patrol, Specialized Beat Teams, Bike Units, Traffic, Narcotics, Personnel, Major Crimes, Training, Chief’s assistant in Headquarters, and County Wide Night Commander. He also was involved in the Gang Task Force, Domestic Violence Task Force, The Field Training Officer Coordinator, Explorer Director, School Resource Officer Commander, Honor Guard Commander, the Beltway Sniper Task Force and various Community Outreach initiatives. After twenty-five years He retired and decided to move to his beloved St. Croix.
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Once on the island he found himself back in the work force taking a Superintendent of Security Position at Hovensa Oil Refinery. The refinery shut down and then he became the Director of Security at Cruzan Rum Distillery where he recruited, created and trained their internal security team. Not very long after getting the Cruzan Rum team up and running the Consent Decree Monitoring team working with the Department of Justice recruited Tony to work with them as a monitor of the Virgin Islands Police Department to assist them with Consent Decree mandates. Eventually Tony was asked to join VIPD to manage the Consent Decree Office and while there, held several other acting positions including, Internal Affairs Director, Training Director, Audit’s Manager and as the Director of Standards.
After several years with VIPD he moved on to take the position of Curriculum Coordinator for Peace Officer Standards & Training (P.O.S.T.) where he specialized in Law Enforcement training. In that capacity he certified law enforcement officers in the territory, certified and evaluated training and instructors. Mr. Emanuel is a Police Reform specialist that works to encourage 21st Century Policing and bridging relationships with police agencies and communities by delivering presentations and training to law enforcement and civilians, with topics such as Customer Based Policing, Community Engagement, De-Escalation, Conflict Resolution, Ethics, Leadership, Interpersonal Communication, Customer Service, Crisis Intervention, Procedural Justice, and Leadership Programs for adults and youth. His question; How can I help?
Bruce Flamon
Community Outreach Coordinator
St. Thomas
Bruce Flamon was born on the south side of Chicago. Where as a young adult at nineteen years old he joined the National Guard Military Police unit. Then, at 22 years old, he joined the Illinois State Police unit. Two years later he joined the Chicago Fire Department, retiring after twenty years of service as a fire Lieutenant. After retirement from the “Windy City” Bruce relocated to the beautiful US Virgin Islands St Thomas, where he opened a food truck business on the waterfront. Two years later, he decided to become a member of the Virgin Island Taxi Association and joined the tourism industry doing tours on St. Thomas. Shortly after joining he won Taxi Driver of the Year. Later he wanted to get back into law enforcement and joined the Virgin Islands Police Department Axillary unit and also retuned back to the Military Police Force serving proudly in the Virgin Islands National Guard until retirement. Bruce has continued working to push forward to address the needs in our community against gun violence. Bruce was appointed to the Office of Gun Violence Prevention as the Community Engagement Specialist for St. Thomas, St. John District.
Bruce’s spiritual love of God is reflected in his commitment to his community as he continues to serve The Office of the Governor and the people of the Virgin Islands.
Gerald McDonald
Survivor Engagement Specialist
St. Thomas
Rev. Dr. Gerald McDonald is a distinguished Temple University graduate with a bachelor's degree in business administration and management. He furthered his education by earning a Master of Divinity from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, now Palmer Seminary, and obtained a Doctor of Ministry from Friends International University.
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Passionate about spreading the message of faith and serving his community, Rev. McDonald is the visionary founder of Impacting Your World Christian Ministries based in St. Thomas., United States Virgin Islands. Through this ministry, he has touched the lives of many individuals by promoting spiritual growth and community development. He is Creating People Who Cannot Be Destroyed.
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In addition to his ministry work, Rev. McDonald is the driving force behind the Global Impact Prayer line, a vital initiative running successfully for the past 13 years. This prayer line is held daily from 6 AM to 6:30 AM. He reaches individuals across the Caribbean, South America, Japan, England, and various other nations of the world.
Rev. McDonald also dedicated his time to Beautiful Dreamers, a renowned Behavioral and Educational Center, where he compassionately counseled individuals navigating emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges.
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Recognized for his dedication to education and social causes, Rev. McDonald collaborates closely with the Commissioner of Education and the Department of Education to lead prayer sessions for the well-being of the educational system. Furthermore, he plays a significant role in the Office of Governor, Gun Violence Prevention, as a Survivor Engagement Specialist, offering support to victims of gun violence by visiting them in hospitals and facilitating assistance to aid in their recovery and well-being.
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Rev. Mcdonald was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and is married to Dr. Sharon Jackson McDonald, a native of St. Thomas for the past 33 and they have been blessed with three wonderful sons, Gerald II, David, and Christopher McDonald.
Rev. McDonald's commitment to faith, community service, and social justice has impacted the lives of many, exemplifying his dedication to making the world a better place by sharing the light of Christ.
Dexter Skepple
Violence Interrupter
St. Thomas
Born and raised St. Croix, holds a bachelor of Science from University of Central Texas. Gun Violence Prevention Survivor engagement specialist. Pastor Speak the word ministries for the last 26 years. Professional pilot with 38 years of flying.
Baseball coach and Director of baseball clinics.
Damain Lang
Violence Interrupter
St. Croix
Damian Anthony Lang was born on the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. After experiencing some legal challenges, Damian served over twelve years in prison.
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During his time in prison, Damian was able to reflect on his past choices made and decided to live a productive life. While i’m prison, he was able to earn his diploma and also learned how to do tattoos. A passion Damian later developed.
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Upon his release, Damian has played an instrumental role in the Virgin Islands community. Having started his own non-profit organization, Father’s in the Community, Inc. A non profit organization that is geared towards redeveloping positive and sustainable relationship between fathers and their children. The organization is also responsible for hosting the popular Daddy’s Day Out events.
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Mr. Lang is also a trained and certified Fatherhood Engagement Specialist and Facilitator and currently works full time with the Office of Gun Violence Prevention as the territory’s Gun Violence Interpreter. Damian has also served as a Special Assitant to the Commissioner of VI Department of Agriculture and also served as a small business owner, having owned and managed his own tattoo shop, V.I. Ink.
Damian is a firm believe that your past does not limit your potential. At any given moment one may choose to liberate their future.