QUICK PLUG: I am a member of USC's all-male a cappella group, The Trojan Men. We are holding a holiday concert in Bovard Auditorium this Friday, December 7th at 7pm. For tickets, come see me after class or go to www.thetrojanmen.com. It's going to be a great show, and I really hope any of you guys can come see it!
Back to the film screening. I had no idea what this documentary was going to be about before I entered Norris Theater. It was one of the most impactful, emotional films I have ever seen. The arch of the film takes place starting in summer and progresses through each of the four seasons. Focusing on the youth violence in the city of Chicago, director Steve James follows three main characters, Ameena, Cobe, and Eddie (pictured below), who belong to a group of amazing people known as Violence Interrupters. Their mission is made clearer by the organization's name: ceasefire.org (we were notified after the screening that the name has changed to cureviolence). The gang and non gang-related youth fatalities in Chicago and across the country are staggering, and Interrupters are on the front lines of stopping the violence before it starts. Dr. Gary Slutkin, a researcher and executive director of www.cureviolence.org, explained in the movie that these killings occur in two steps. Step 1 consists of a grievance; one individual disrespects another, which can consist of failing to pay off a debt, stepping on someone's turf, or verbal antagonism. Step 2 consists of how to punish the offender, which leads to fights, and often murder. The organization is composed of violence interrupters who have true street credibility. At one point in the film, someone remarked that at one table with 20 or so people (mainly men), they had a combined 500+ years of prison time that should add up to a lot of wisdom to be bestowed on Chicago's young people.
I was shocked by the extraordinary lengths these brave individuals went to prevent escalation of altercations into murders. I believe Slutkin mentioned in the film that violence has dropped 46% in areas where violence interrupters and ceasefire offices operate. Slutkin also talked about violence being a disease; it is the disease that afflicts the impoverished inner city dwellers of Chicago. On an analytical note, this comment relates perfectly to my topic of obesity and food addiction in that I am also trying to make the case that food addiction is a disorder unto itself. The moment Slutkin made this appeal, my perception of violence completely changed to one that sees violence as the natural recourse for individuals who have inherited this set of cultural expectations. It was interesting to see that there are those who likely have inherited a susceptibility to being more violent, volatile, and impulsive. However, it struck me how there were many teenagers who conceded they didn't want to have to live the tough thug life. These individuals cite that their survival depends on their willingness to retaliate and maintain a macho posture of strength in the face of threats. To me these cases represent an example of what Richard Dawkins calls a meme, which is an element of culture or behavior that may be passed from one individual to another by nongenetic means.
The film also follows the progress over the year of various at-risk people that are being helped personally by each of the violence interrupters. Flamo, who offered a much-needed comic relief, was Cobe's 'project' and he transformed from on the verge to retaliate and murder four people for the handcuffing of his mother and brother to calmly holding a job as a train ticket operator. Caprysha, the focus of Ameena's attention in the film, was slow-going in making progress in changing her attitudes and behaviors, but Ameena's persistence throughout the year and beyond is something to be deeply admired. The goals of the violence interrupters are to stop escalating violence in extreme cases, and to work with at-risk kids to change how they perceive the supposed necessity to retaliate.
It was truly an emotional experience. Everything from the music to the intimate confessions of both violence interrupters themselves as well as those they were mentoring made the captivating. I was so thrilled to be able to talk to Ameena briefly after the showing and simply tell her how amazing and wonderful a person she is. It made me wonder how a middle-class caucasian male like myself could make a difference like that. Is it is, several violence interrupters have been shot at in the process of mediating conflicts; I cannot imagine what fate would await me if I tried to become a violence interrupter. It was also great to hear Eddie talk about the art that he uses to inspire impressionable young kids to divorce themselves from the ways of thinking that involve retaliation and violence. I tried to find an image online of Eddie's art that was shown in the film, but I had no in doing so. I guess you'll just have to see the movie! Regardless of the extra credit associated with this film, this was one of the best documentaries I have ever seen.
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