Protect Peace

We are responsible gun owners who believe in defending rights, saving lives and building a better future because, as responsible gun owners, we are part of the solution, not the source of the problem. our 6 principles

Despite the stereotypes, gun owners are from all walks of life, political parties, races, and belief systems. What unites us is our desire to protect the ones we love while exercising our fundamental rights.

We don’t have enough places and spaces for all gun owners to call their own. And while everyone wants gun owners to be responsible, finding information and training that is practical, realistic and affordable can be very difficult, especially for people that need it the most (e.g. a working single mom in a neighborhood with a high homicide rate that wants to learn how to keep her kids safe).  In every way possible, we need to make responsible gun owning communities accessible to everyone. Beyond changing the narrative of who gun owners are, we have to make the most life changing and lifesaving information and training easy to afford and accessible for everyone.

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The punitive nature of current laws passed as a result of the gun debate are likely to mirror the mistakes made during The War on Drugs by failing to address the root of the problem and fueling mass incarceration, particularly in poor, Black, and Brown communities.  We all know that the War on Drugs did not solve the problem of addictions in our communities because today overdoses kill twice as many people as guns.  What the War on Drugs did was create a pipeline for poor, Black and Brown communities into prison, often for simple possession of drugs, some of which (like marijuana) are slowly becoming legal. In other words, some people went to prison and had their lives destroyed for something that may not be a crime anymore!  Most Americans believe that the War on Drugs went too far but a War on Guns does not promise to be different. If anything, the War on Guns is set to replace the War on Drugs as the next driver of mass incarceration.  80% of people arrested for simple illegal possession of a firearm in Chicago (something that is often no longer a crime in Florida or Texas) were Black,overwhelmingly Black men. While the number of arrests for possession went up, so did shootings, but arrests for those shootings (as opposed to simple possession) declined. Similar trends took place in New York and Baltimore. In sum, even the most “sensible” gun laws are more about locking up poor and Black/Brown men than they are about stopping “gun violence.”  Most people don’t realize that the same crime bill that helped create the “New Jim Crow “ and drive mass incarceration in 1994 also contained the Assault Weapons Ban.   At the time of the Assault Weapons ban, there were an estimated 800,000 AR-15’s in circulation. Today there are over 20 million. Which means, if that ban is renewed today, a new felony will be created where someone would have to go to jail or prison. Who will that someone look like?

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Those root causes include (but are not limited to):  1. A broken justice and public safety system that over-incarcerates and under-protects. (E.g.  Despite the prison population that reached 2 million people, there are more than 200,000 unsolved homicides in the United States, and that number rises by around 6,000 every year.)  2. A broken system of rapid response and rapid care that fails people who are at extreme risk of harming themselves or others.  3. A lack of investment and historical disinvestment in communities where people are dying.

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Debates don’t save lives, effective investment does.   Even though mass shootings are horrific and consume our headlines, a few HUNDRED people die in mass shootings every year, about a DOZEN of those deaths are in schools. Last year 48,000 people died by guns. The majority of those were suicides (overwhelmingly White), followed by homicides (20,000) (disproportionately Black and Brown).   Also last year, 100,000 people died from drug overdoses and an additional 100,000 died from alcohol-related deaths. Many of the deaths from guns, drugs and alcohol happen in the exact same communities,often to the same families. Historically, the various “get-tough” approaches,including Prohibition and the War on Drugs have failed to fundamentally save lives in those communities because the research tells us that those communities are full of economic despair and desperately lack investment. Investments in proven solutions will always save more lives than any punitive law that is passed.   When we say investment, we mean:  1. Investing in targeted Community Violence and Wellness Intervention programs that have been proven to reduce deaths by: helping crime victims get services they need, working directly with people at high risk of commiting violence and ensuring people coming out of the justice system are more likely to work and less likely to commit acts of violence.  2. Invest in creating more effective early warning and rapid response systems for people who are at the highest risks of hurting themselves and others. so that no person who has committed, tried to commit or actively planned a homicide is simply walking the street and no person who has attempted a suicide is left unhelped.  3. In the long term, it means investing in an economy and a criminal justice/public safety system that works for all of us- especially the communities with most despair.  As we said, debates don’t save lives, effective investment does. Afterall, we invest in the things we care about.

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Responsible gun owners, especially those from communities impacted by violence, have a role to play in keeping their communities safe, if only they are engaged in creating the solution rather than being dismissed as the source of the problem.  We became gun owners to protect the people we love and solve the problem of safety in our lives. We believe in safer communities as much as anyone else and are willing to do what it takes to build a better future. We can do that, not by debating gun laws forever but by supporting investments in people and communities in effective ways that keep us all safe.  When we say invest, it can be with the pocketboo k, the policies we support or with our personal actions.

The Circle of Brotherhood is an organization of primarily Black men from all walks of life dedicated to community service, economic development, crime prevention, conflict resolution and mediation, educational services, and youth mentorship. Members of the Circle have dedicated their lives to collectively solving the social ills of our community.

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The mission of the Circle of Brotherhood (COB) is to involve Black Men in solving community problems and to help make our communities a decent place to live. We have primary focuses on youth development, crime prevention and economic sustainability. We believe that all men regardless of their past, current status, or station in life deserve an opportunity to contribute to the rebuilding of our communities and the edification of disenfranchised people. We strive to do this through a collective and collaborative manner. We are the foundation of our communities, the protectors and providers for our mothers, wives, children and family. When Black men take responsibility for filling the destructive void left by our absence in our blighted neighborhoods; we will see prosperous communities and healthy thriving citizens.

The Circle of Brotherhood (COB) is comprised of founding members, an executive team, governing officers, and a general membership body. The founding members formulated the organization in 2013 based upon a call to action for unity and collaboration, to address the manifold issues related to increased violence in Miami’s fifth district. Our service and influence now spans throughout South Florida. We are primarily Black men from all walks of life; community based, family oriented, professional and civic minded (from the streets to the suites). 

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The executive membership serves as an inner circle of trained participants whose sole purpose is to properly represent our principles and to be the standard of integrity for new members. The governing officers; President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, volunteer as our legal arm for business and social affairs. 

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Our general membership is recruited by COB members who meet men who are committed to playing an active role in solving our community problems. We live and work in the neighborhoods we serve. All members participate on standing committees based upon expertise and interest. Our committees are economics, youth development, community service, civic affairs, violence prevention, recreation/family affairs, and community health and wellness. We have a lead organizer that keeps us consistently engaged in the community. The key to our success as an organization stems from an expertise driven approach toward all of our projects and endeavors (He who knows best leads) and a “No big I’s and little you’s” underpinning.

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Scope of Services: 

Workshops & Conferences, Retreats & Seminars, Training & Consultation, Career & Transitional Counseling, Student Services, Leadership Development & Life Skills Training, Juvenile Services, Community Based Programs, Employment Services, School Based Programs

The Source is the hub for entrepreneurs, founders, employers, investors and global connection. We are strategically designed as an ecosystem that bridges the gap in technology, access to capital, education and opportunity to provide clear paths for to thrive in Miami and beyond.  Whether you are a business owner looking to grow fast, a founder planning to disrupt an industry, an employer hiring the best talent, an investor looking for exposure to winning deals, or an individual with a dream yet to be defined...
world is moving at light speed because of the technology that is evolving everyday.  This has also created a large number of new job opportunities.  

CareerSource South Florida is responsible for initiating state and federally funded workforce development programs in Miami-Dade County. We assist employers and job seekers with employment services, labor market information, and provide training for economically disadvantaged adults, youth, dislocated workers, individuals transitioning from welfare to work, and refugees.

While promoting the advancement of underutilized workers, the CareerSource South Florida stimulates the labor market by implementing policies such as business incentives, and provides valuable resources to South Florida’s diverse community.

All CareerSource South Florida services and resources are available to everyone at no cost through a network of centers located throughout the Region.

Click here for the history of the South Florida 

Queen Up Media Group Incorporated (QUMG) is engaged in the business of all things

Media. In the capacity of media brokerage. The company provides services via

Sub-Contracted Professional to service all levels of clientele; Videography,

Photography, Stylist, Event Host, Content Creation, Director, Producer, Podcast, Video

and Commercial Production, Make- Up Artist, Performers, etc. QUMG will secure

contracts for each service provided and will hire Sub-Contractors to perform the desired

service based on their expertise.

We here at the Circle of Literacy are recruiting an Army of Tutors that will be trained The WLC (World Literacy Crusade) and H.E.L.P. (Hollywood Education and Literacy Project) to empower the African American community to help increase the literacy levels of families across the nation.  by clicking on the picture above you can learn about our partner Applied Scholastics

and below find out how we are cultivating a civilization of Geniuses!

Developed by L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology is a religion that offers a precise path leading to a complete and certain understanding of one’s true spiritual nature and one’s relationship to self, family, groups, Mankind, all life forms, the material universe, the spiritual universe and the Supreme Being.

Scientology addresses the spirit—not the body or mind—and believes that Man is far more than a product of his environment, or his genes.

Scientology comprises a body of knowledge which extends from certain fundamental truths. Prime among these are:

Man is an immortal spiritual being.

His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime.

His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized.

Scientology further holds Man to be basically good, and that his spiritual salvation depends upon himself, his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.

Scientology is not a dogmatic religion in which one is asked to accept anything on faith alone. On the contrary, one discovers for oneself that the principles of Scientology are true by applying its principles and observing or experiencing the results.

The ultimate goal of Scientology is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for all.