Politicians have attempted to solve urban crime (in this case gangs) any number of ways and most have failed outright. The ones that do succeed often have minor effects on the actual problem and concentrate more on solving crimes after they’ve already occurred and how the law deals with the perpetrators. Is there an actual solution? Possibly, and if it’s out there it likely has something to do with an overhaul of the educational system in impoverished areas, but until that happens, crimes will be committed and violence will afflict undeserving victims. The Interrupters, a documentary by Steve James, follows an inner-city group specifically formed to prevent fights from escalating to violence. They may be treating a symptom, but can you argue with methods that have successfully saved and changed lives?
A few years back, Chicago was ravaged by a series of black-on-black crimes that received lots of media coverage, each having an aftermath of violent events unto themselves. In response to the violence, CeaseFire was formed comprised of youths, reformed gangbangers, and concerned citizens who venture out into their communities and place themselves at the center of conflicts that have the potential to turn violent in the hopes of acting as a mediator. Of course, it’s not enough to just pluck some fresh-faced man or woman from a sidewalk and send them into harm’s way – that’s just a recipe for more violence. Instead, the volunteers of CeaseFire have gang histories all their own and act as authorities in conflicts by asserting their own street-earned credibility.
Of the CeaseFire members profiled in The Interrupters, Ameena Matthews receives the most attention as her situation is perhaps the most poignant in more ways than one. As the daughter of revered gang leader Jeff Fort, Ameena had an automatic air of gang royalty growing up, and when she was old enough she fell in quickly with a gang and made it her family. She lived that life for years before reforming at the behest of her husband, a devout Muslim, who turned her towards a more wholesome lifestyle. Now, even as a loving mother and husband, she walks into the line of fire and works as one of the most effective “Violence Interrupters” in CeaseFire’s arsenal. Her influence in the community has grown considerably in working with CeaseFire and only increased after the highly publicized death of the young Derrion Albert, after which she acted as friendly ear for the boy’s mother and helped her through the grieving.
Ameena’s story is reinforced by the likes of Eddie Bocanegra, who still lives with the regret of killing a man as a teenager, and Cobe Williams, still mourning his father’s murder. Eddie does a lot of the work CeaseFire is known for, but he also visits with schools helping to steer kids down the right path by encouraging their academic and creative impulses. The Interrupters tackles crime prevention from many different angles, but as an organization working from the outside of the educational system where the core of the problem resides, they can only do so much. Yet, as the year Steve James spent recording their work shows, what they do has generated lots of positive support within the community. Most importantly, James makes sure to show that CeaseFire won’t just come to an end as the current generation of “Violence Interrupters” phase out, following Ameena and Cobe as they mentor two younger candidates who seem to have varying degrees of appreciation for what they’re preaching.
The scope of Steve James’s work on The Interrupters gives exposure to a group that badly needs an influx of public support, and it does so in a very structured way (the four seasons of the year) and with recognizable and charismatic characters. The state of urban crime is depressing, and The Interrupters brings a lot of that to the screen, but it also makes a lot of compelling arguments and in a way that you can’t help but want to take action to change it all. By the time the documentary comes to an end, CeaseFire’s cause seems like common sense and you can’t help but wonder why you don’t hear of similar organizations in every major city.
"The Interrupters" opens July 29, 2011 and is not rated. Documentary. Directed by Steve James.
