The Interrupters on WXXI-TV and at the Little Theatre

Tue, 02/14/2012 - 9:00pm

Follow a group of former gang leaders trying to “interrupt” shootings and protect their communities from the violence they once committed.

During one weekend in Chicago in 2008, 37 people were shot, seven of them fatally. The Interrupters, a Frontline presentation airing Tuesday, February 14 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV/HD (DT21.1/cable 11/cable 1011), follows a group of older former gang leaders trying to “interrupt” shootings and protect their communities from the violence they once committed. The film follows the inner workings of CeaseFire, an innovative program in Chicago designed to prevent shootings, including weekly meetings where the interrupters report on the simmering disputes and the senseless shootings in their neighborhoods. From director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Stevie), "The Interrupters" is a compelling observational journey into the stubborn, persistent violence that plagues our American cities.

Learn more from Frontline about the long-term effects on youth, adults and the community when violence is ignored.

Listen to the feature interview on NPR's Fresh Air.

The Interrupters is also playing at the Little Theatre on Friday, February 24 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 26 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets: $5.00. Sunday's screening includes a talkback with S.R.O. Moses Robinson, President of the Western New York Chapter of the East Coast Gang Investigator's Association. Rochester Police Department and Kit Miller - Executive Director, M.K. Gandhi Institute For Nonviolence, Rochester Season For Nonviolence.

For more details, visit: thelittle.org