Latest news with #LyleMuhammad
CBS News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Miami gun violence prevention nonprofit protests federal funding cuts: "People over politics"
More than 100 supporters rallied in front of the Circle of Brotherhood nonprofit in Miami on Wednesday to protest what they said is the "defunding" of programs to curb gun violence. Last week, CBS News Miami reported that the U.S. Department of Justice notified the Circle that it was ending a $2 million grant program. The Circle has a group of workers called "peacemakers," who interact with children in local schools to prevent conflict. They serve as a neighborhood patrol, with boots on the ground to stop crime, gun violence and offering alternatives. Lyle Muhammad, the Circle's executive director, told CBS News Miami he was barely able to pay his 50 employees and would be running out of money. Moms Demand Action spoke out against the cuts, while other supporters called on the federal government to restore the funding. "They are not just numbers — they are saving lives," said one speaker at the podium. "We demand people over politics." "The school board was invited to be here and nobody showed," added Holly Zwerling, the president and CEO of Fatherhood Task Force South Florida, a nonprofit that increases the role of fathers in children's lives. In an email from the Justice Department, the Circle was told their funding was ending "because it no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities. Instead, they would focus on law enforcement protecting children and victims of trafficking and sexual assault. Speakers called on church groups and others to step up and raise money to keep the Circle work going.
CBS News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
2 South Florida gun violence prevention organizations impacted by DOJ's nonprofit funding cuts
The U.S. Department of Justice dropped the axe on nonprofits last week, cutting funding for inner-city programs that focus on preventing gun violence and saving lives. At least two major organizations in South Florida were impacted by these cuts: the Urban League of Broward County and the Circle of Brotherhood in Miami. Community cornerstone Each day, as school kids leave Brownsville Middle School in Miami, they run into Circle of Brotherhood peacemakers in their orange vests. These are a neighborhood patrol with boots on the ground, stopping crime, gun violence and offering alternatives. "When we go into the community, I see myself," said Lamont Nanton, the Circle of Brotherhood's manager. "I was once part of the problem." The peacemakers are a cornerstone of the larger nonprofit, said executive director Lyle Muhammad. "It's a community-based organization — relationships — it's need-based," he said. But, the outreach is in jeopardy after the Circle of Brotherhood got an email from the Justice Department, saying their $2 million federal grant, which was awarded to them in 2023, was terminated. "Because it no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities," the email read in part. Instead, the email said it "would focus on law enforcement, protecting children and victims of trafficking and sexual assault." Soon, Muhammad won't be able to pay his 50 employees. "When we talk about saving lives, there are individuals who stop gunplay but there are others who prevent suicide," he said. "Thousands of lives have been saved." Julius Robinson wants to keep saving lives. He grew up in the Miami neighborhood of Liberty City and is working with the Circle of Brotherhood to be the next generation of community problem solvers. "It's Black men solving their own problems," he said. Meanwhile, the Urban League of Broward County stands to lose $400,000 in a grant earmarked for curbing teenage hate crimes. The Circle of Brotherhood told CBS News Miami they will hold a rally on May 7 to look for alternative funding.
