Violence interrupter contracts withdrawn in Minneapolis after alleged threats and gun charges
The move comes after council members said the pastor threatened them, and one of his team members ended up behind bars.
"He's not homophobic. We helped pass the marriage amendment," said longtime Minneapolis activist Al Flowers, regarding Rev. Jerry McAfee.
Flowers shouted down community groups who were speaking out against violence prevention contract work, which was set to be awarded to McAfee's nonprofit Salem Inc., during a city council meeting Monday afternoon.
Last month, McAfee interrupted a Minneapolis city council meeting on violence prevention programs. Councilmembers said McAfee became threatening.
"When you have individuals who are making threats, using homophobic language and addressing the council in ways that are not acceptable for this space, it raises concerns," said Kat Rohn, executive director of OutFront Minnesota.
"Shame on Reverend McAfee, shame on Commissioner Barnette, shame on Mayor Frey. Minneapolis deserves real leadership, real accountability," said Minneapolis activist Marvina Haynes.
Minneapolis' Office of Community Safety (OCS) announced Monday that all Minneapolis contracts for violence interruption services, including McAfee's, would be pulled from the agenda. Officials did not explain why.
"We anticipate submitting a new request for Council Action for consideration by the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, March 25 that will not include Salem Inc," said an OCS spokesperson.
"I can't say more at this time, as the data is non-public," said Jared Jeffries, chief of staff for OCS.
This also comes after a violence interrupter from McAfee's 21 Days of Peace was arrested and
charged with reckless discharge of a firearm
after he was injured during a shooting.
McAfee spoke about the city's decision to withdraw his organization's more than $600,000 contract.
"I ain't going nowhere, we ain't going nowhere and everybody's feet will be held to the fire to do the right thing," said McAfee.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
24-07-2025
- USA Today
Pat McAfee apologizes for amplifying false rumor about Ole Miss student
Pat McAfee has apologized to University of Mississippi student Mary Kate Cornett, nearly five months after he discussed an unsupported rumor about her on "The Pat McAfee Show." The false rumor about Cornett's romantic life circulated on social media in February, and it was quickly amplified by Barstool Sports and McAfee. Although McAfee didn't mention Cornett's name on-air, he directly addressed the rumor during a show at the NFL Scouting Combine on Feb. 26. On the July 23 edition of "The Pat McAfee Show," the former NFL punter apologized to Cornett. "I have since learned that the story was not true, and that my show played a role in the anguish caused to a great family, and especially to a young woman, Mary Kate Cornett," McAfee said. "I think you all know from tuning into this program that I never want to be a source of negativity or contribute to another human's suffering. "I can now happily share with you that I recently got to meet Mary Kate and her family, and I got a chance to sincerely apologize to them and acknowledge that what I said about Mary Kate was based solely on what others were saying on the internet or what had previously been reported by others, and that we had no personal knowledge about Mary Kate or her personal life." Cornett spoke with The Athletic in April and said she received an onslaught of backlash over 'something completely false." Her phone number was released online and she had to move into emergency housing and switch to online courses for her safety, she said. She also told NBC News "it was absolutely ridiculous that an ESPN sports broadcaster would be talking about a 19-year-old girl's 'sex scandal' that was completely false." Cornett added she intended to take legal action against McAfee and ESPN for helping spread the rumor. The rumor hadn't been mentioned on the show since then, but McAfee vaguely addressed it during a live event he hosted in Pittsburgh less than two weeks after The Athletic article. He said he "didn't want to add any more negativity as it was taking place' and would try to "make some sort of silver lining in a very terrible situation." Other outlets like Barstool issued apologies for their part in spreading the rumor. Regarding why the topic hadn't been addressed on his show for months, McAfee said Wednesday "there was a lot going on behind the scenes." He added he personally wanted to talk to Cornett and her family before he addressed it publicly. "I can now say that I had the opportunity to meet (Cornett's family), chat with them, and they're wonderful people. And I'm very thankful that they gave me the opportunity to tell them how sorry I was that this all happened, and that our program was a part of this," McAfee said. "I deeply regret all the pain that this caused. I hated watching what our show was a part of, in her interviews and reading about it. And my hope is that this can be something that we all learn from going forward." USA TODAY Sports has reached out to Cornett's lawyer for comment.
New York Post
19-07-2025
- New York Post
Pat McAfee goes scorched earth on NFLPA, calls for ‘dawg' to run show after resignation scandal
Apparently, ex-NFLPA head Lloyd Howell Jr.'s actions were somewhat expected for someone in his position, according to Pat McAfee. Howell resigned Thursday from his position as executive director of the NFL Players Association amid multiple controversies, and on Friday, he was reportedly exposed for charging the union for two strip club visits. And while McAfee wasn't on the air on Friday to discuss the fiasco, the former Colts punter took to X with his thoughts as someone with firsthand experience with the players association. Advertisement 'I don't know what it was exactly like before my time in the NFL,' McAfee wrote. 'But I know that literally since a week after I got drafted, at my rookie symposium listening to [DeMaurice] Smith speak for the first time, all the way thru now… the NFLPA has been led by people who would much rather be known that they're the heads of the NFLPA than actually work and act like they are the heads of the NFLPA.' McAfee played eight seasons in the NFL, with his entire career being spent with Howell's predecessor, Smith, as the head of the NFLPA. Advertisement Pat McAfee said that the NFLPA's leadership 'thinks they're celebrities.' Getty Images McAfee also called out the egos of leadership. 'These dudes think they're celebrities,' McAfee went on. 'These dudes think they're powerful. These dudes hire all of their friends and overpay them with the players' money. 'Then these dudes flex while using and abusing all of the connections that the players and the league have worked their asses off their entire lives for… and act like sanctimonious heroes thru it all.' Advertisement Lloyd Howell resigned from his executive director position of the NFLPA on Thursday. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock There were multiple controversies pointed to as possible reasons for Howell's resignation on Thursday, but ultimately, on Friday, ESPN reported the bombshell that Howell had been expensing strip club visits totaling over $3,000. Now, the NFLPA must find Howell's successor, and McAfee would like to see quite a switch-up in the role. 'The NFLPA needs a dawg that knows legitimate business and generating capital running the NFLPA,' he wrote. 'We need people that have empathy for the players who play/played in the NFL and don't just view them as an annual fee. We need creative negotiators, creators, and innovators.'
Tom's Guide
10-07-2025
- Tom's Guide
Shop safer online during Prime Day with these security tips
While everyone online is looking for the best deals during Prime Day, threat actors, hackers and thieves are looking too – for the best way to scam, steal and swipe your information and data. Scams are getting harder and harder to spot, especially now that many cybercriminals have started using AI to make their texts and emails nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. According to McAfee, 15% of people have already fallen victim to online scams during Prime Day and while 89% of people have taken steps to stay safe, 65% also admit they're not fully confident in their ability to spot a scam. Though older adults are more at risk of scams that promise deals, younger shoppers are more at risk for shopping on social media and shopping from unfamiliar brands. Here are a few tried and true rules and tips about the best ways to stay safe both during, and after, high-profile shopping seasons. Remember that Amazon will not call you about account activity or purchases so do not trust any phone calls that come through 'from Amazon.' If you receive a phone call that claims to be from Amazon or Amazon customer service, never give out any personal information or details like passwords or payment information. If you need to contact Amazon, use the Amazon Message Center, and always log into your Amazon account directly through to check for any legitimate issues with your account or orders. As with any phishing scam, be extremely wary of any email or text that includes urgent language or any wording that asks for your immediate action – anything that claims you need to make a payment, act now, or claims that your account will be closed. These types of scams will always use a sense of urgency to make their victims feel like they need to act quickly, so pause before you act. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Never trust any message that ask for payment in gift cards, cash or wire transfers or claims that you need to 'verify' your money. That's not a thing. Likewise, no one should ever need to transfer you to a government agency during your call. You can also keep yourself and your shopping experience safe by enabling two factor or multi-factor authentication; use a password manager so you can make sure you're using strong, unique passwords for all your accounts. Make sure you're only shopping on secure websites – look for https and the padlock icon, and always, always (always) check the URL of the site you're on to make sure it's the correct one and not a spoof. Never click on links in emails or texts, always go directly to the site yourself or type the URL into the browser. Make sure you monitor bank and credit card statements regularly for any suspicious or unusual activity. Some of the best antivirus programs will also watch your back – and have features that can help like browsers that will alert you if you visit a shady website, dark web monitoring or identity monitoring that can tell you if your accounts have been compromised and phishing protection that will watch out for common scams in emails or even texts.
