Discussion Responses

I chose to watch the movie the “Interrupters.” You have former gang members who are trying to now help their community in Chicago. They call it “Ceasefire.” Trying to stop violence before it happens on the level or those trying to retaliate. Retaliation seems to be a big problem and just a lot of emotions running high because a loved one was murdered.

They all stand out but the one that stands out the most is the woman Ameena Mathews. Her dad Jeff Fort was a gang leader he was never around since he was young when her mother got pregnant but she followed in his footsteps not so much in the gang life but in other criminal activity likes drug selling, hustling and even pimping prostitutes.

When I watch the video more and they go into a father whose son was shot 22 times and he was 13 yrs old the child aunt was in the crowd saying something and the father lashes out at her. Saying she never took care of him. It seems like the father didn’t even know who she was. And instead of saying come on up here we family he says you a doctor and they just exchange words and he cusses at her for no reason. She is grieving as well and instead of uniting there is just hate being thrown at her.

What is even more sad then that is the fact that while people are marching and trying to be heard and wanting clean up the streets another homicide had just took place. What kind of world is Chicago? I live in a bubble the town I live in even the state I live in does not have this much crime going on even in the middle of an event that they are trying to put on with the Cease fire.

One gentleman by the name of Cobe Williams who is part of the Cease fire said it best “We need to be out here in these streets before things happen.” Cobe seems to be the one who can relate more to the younger people. He is young himself so I think sometimes when you have someone around your age and has done what those kids are doing now that he can talk some sense into them.

I took away from this is there are people that can change and want to really make a difference in their community when they are given the opportunity. I think a lot of other communities should take a look and see what this Ceasefire is truly about and try to set motion for their own Ceasefire. The violence does have to stop but it never will. When looking at the beginning family members trying to beat up someone else who to me had nothing to do with what happened but they were so mad and wanted to defend their relatives honor. All those people are doing is making themselves look bad and making things worse for the community because at that point they don’t care who they hurt. In the heat of the moment and the adrenaline what they do then has consequences that they may not want to face once the adrenaline has passed.

For my week three review I decided to do the video called The Interrupters which is by Kollwitz and James back in 2011. This is a programs which the members or gangbangers that are no longer affiliated with gangs. A man named Gary Slutten M.D. is the founder of what is called Ceasefire he is also a military man and he is also an ex=gang member. The Ceasefire group is located in Englewood which is outside of Chicago which helps in deceasing violence and crime by patrolling the neighborhood. Within the neighborhood they display signs that warns that it is family security sanctity thus meaning that a family life is very important and also has value. Mr. Slutten says that violence is a plague. Mr. Slutten also says that when it comes to violence that there are two steps to this process the first one is grievance and the second one is that along with grievance would then justify violence. Mr. Slutten states that many who live in a neighborhood such as Chicago and also Englewood and many others that from a young age they are taught this very motto which is death before dishonor.

A woman named Ameena Mathews is also a member of the Ceasefire group. Ameena is found to be biggest ranked female member of a gang throughout the history of Chicago. Ameena learned the life style from her father who was also a member of a gang called the Black Panther and later when with the Libyans to commit terrorism in America. When Ameena Mathews was in the gang life she would have been the Lieutenant which she had full control over drug dealing, running the pimps and also control over guns. Ameena did not have an easy childhood growing up both of her parents were absent because they were both involved with gangs and or the use of drugs. Ameena Mathews also endured sexual and physical abuse in her life. One day Ameena found her salvation through her Islamic faith. Ameena Mathews has become a better person she is now married and has a family of her own and says that her family is what keeps her out of trouble.

Another member of Ceasefire is a person named Cobe Williams. Mr. Williams spent twelve years in prison for attempted murder and also for drug trafficking. When Mr. Williams was younger a guy had beaten him up then shortly after he seen his father hitting his attacker with a baseball bat and killed him. A man named Eddie Boccanega is another member of the Ceasefire Group. Mr. Boccanega served fourteen years in prison for murder he is also an ex-gang member. When it comes to the Ceasefire Group it has twenty members that are involved and all twenty of them are ex-gang members and or convicts.

Within this film there was two young men that were in a fight with one another. One of the accusations that was made is that one of them had a gun. While the young men continued to fight the police arrived but then quickly left. One of the Ceasefire members Ameena Mathews came in and was able to calm the young men down but the police were not able to. Ameena Mathews was able to one of the boys into her car so they could leave. Ameena did this so that the young man’s family would not show up in retaliation. Mrs. Mathews then brings the young man back to his family’s home and the family stood all round and where making jokes about that fight. This was Ameena’s way to keep the situation calm and was able to find their soft-spot. Since Ameena had interfered she was able to calm the situation just as fast as the fight had started.

A woman named Toya Batey was very concerned about her three boys and got in touch with Cobe Williams to help her. Toya does have three sons one is prison for attempted murder and the other two are still at home with her. However, the two boys that are at home in in separate gangs that are rival to one another. Toya Batey lives in another home that she refuses to let her sons know about. Toya Batey makes sure that her other two sons are not homeless by paying their rent. Toya Batey tells Mr. Williams that the reason why she wants his help is because it will help her sons to do good knowing that another person was in their shoes once upon a time ago and feels that it would encourage them to live better lives. Mr. Williams picks the boys and the mother up and he tries to have them all talk about the situation and then tells his story. Mr. Williams feels that is not getting through to the boys so he brings them and also the mother to the Ceasefire Headquarters to speak to Mr. Slutten himself. The one good thing that happened there is they were all able to get the family to admit to one another that they do in fact love one another but the bad is they were not able to show the affection of love to one another. When it comes to the brothers they have both admitted that if they had to help one another out that they would be there for one another.

Every member that is in the Ceasefire Group puts their life on the line in order to help others that need it. The Ceasefire group go around patrolling the streets and also go and talk to others that belong in gangs or other groups. The members in the group goes and tells others that are in the gangs that it is not acceptable to allow young juveniles to join them and some day in the future that if one of these young juveniles ends up dead or in jail that the responsibility would then be pinned on them. When it comes to the older juveniles they need to help the younger juveniles the right path to be on. The Ceasefire Group will go into any situation that a police department might make the situation worse or they just simply are not welcomed at all. The members of the Ceasefire Group would be better all together for juveniles in general because they have someone that has been where they are now and have someone that would better understand them.

On the first day of school in Englewood a really big fight broke out and brought national attention to the town. A video that someone did record using their cellphone went viral over the internet. There was someone that did get murdered during that time and the person’s name is Darian Albert. The saddest thing was and you can hear it in video someone screaming zoom it in zoom it in, someone put that n***r to sleep for good. Because of this fight and the national attention that it received the Department of Education had to step in. As the situation calmed down the Department of Education also backed away.

The grandmother of Ameena Mathew’s she stated that we the people should always respect and honor our children and no matter what should not just give up on them. Ameena Mathews believes in the saying called sticks and stones but however, she says that a person’s words can and will get them killed. The main objective when watching this video is that the Ceasefire Group is always there whenever the police department either will not be or sometimes cannot be. When a neighborhood as something like this it seems to be better at improving their community then the police department ever can be. When it comes to towns like Englewood they refuse to help their local police department. The reason for this is because many people fear that a retaliation may start. Another reason for the people in the town not wanting to help out may be because of past experiences that they had with the police department.