Vision: 3 Ways to Be an 'Interrupter' and Curb Racism, Street Harassment and Animal Cruelty

Behavioral epidemics are strikingly similar to contagious infectious diseases. Much like stopping the spread of an infectious disease, stopping the spread of hate and violence is possible with the right treatments and interventions. By interrupting specific violent encounters and incidents, it is possible to effectively curb violence in a community.

It doesn’t seem like it should be a revolutionary idea, but when epidemiologist Gary Slutkin founded the CeaseFire project in Chicago over a decade ago, he hoped that his previously successful methods for treating diseases would change the landscape of communities most impacted by violence. Working with an infectious disease fellowship in the 1980s, Slutkin helped significantly increase the cure rate of tuberculosis in San Francisco. Later, he worked extensively in pre-war Somalia on effective treatments of cholera and TB. After bouncing between more than 20 other nations combating pervasive illness, Slutkin headed home, where it quickly became clear that his training to eradicating disease epidemics could be effectively applied to Chicago’s violence epidemic.

The new documentary film, The Interrupters, chronicles a year in the life of CeaseFire’s violence interrupters, who methodically interrupt violence on the micro level. By engaging with perpetrators and people known for their gang affiliation and working to educate the community and change learned behaviors, CeaseFire interrupters are able to stem the flow of violence in their communities. Ameena Matthews, Cobe Williams and Eddie Bocanegra are three of the courageous interrupters who work on the ground to combat the epidemic of violence in their Chicagoland communities. The film follows them during the same year Chicago gangs grabbed national headlines when the brutal beating of high school student Derrion Albert was caught on video and later went viral online.

Each interrupter is motivated by a unique blend of personal history, experience and commitment to interrupting the cycle of violence — compelling experiences and drive arguably worth a feature-length film about each individual. Ameena Matthews, the daughter of notorious Chicago gang leader Jeff Fort and now a mother and wife to an Imam, takes young people under her wing and encourages them to stop fighting. In between mentoring, Matthews breaks up full-on street fights with rational words and by placing her hand on a flailing arm or raised shoulder.

Scarred by his father’s murder and inspired to prevent his own sons from living through the same, Cobe Williams, a former gang member, uses his street cred and persistent, playful humor to reach troubled youth in his neighborhood. And Eddie Bocanegra, haunted by a murder he committed as a young man, continues to do his work as penance for his own crimes and to set an example for his young children.

The film inspires on many levels. It can also serve as a reminder to activists that everyday action is attainable and not necessarily dangerous or ill advised. All sorts of hateful speech and action can be interrupted with the right attitude, tactics and community support. In addition to street violence, interrupting incidents as they occur can curb racist hate speech and action, street harassment, and even animal cruelty. Here are some of the ways bystanders can help build more supportive communities by interrupting everyday incidents that cause discord and create unrest.

1. Interrupting Racism

If you live in a progressive bubble, it can be easy to forget that hateful, racist speech remains a pervasive problem. Whether people are joking about stereotypes or using outright slurs, there are several non-confrontational ways to de-escalate situations when hateful language is being used. If a person making racist comments wonders why others are sensitive to their remarks, it creates an opportunity for dialogue. One tactic can be giving historical context when someone seems to genuinely misunderstand the hurt they can cause. Offer a bit of context to that person about how different people have been historically marginalized, and compare it to civil rights struggles to which they can relate. Most of us fall into some sort of non-privileged group. Any experience where someone felt like an outsider can be used to build empathy for others.