Roundtable Breakfast - AMEENA MATTHEWS from The Interrupters

AMEENA MATTHEWS

 “In Steve James’ new documentary, “The Interrupters” produced by writer Alex Kotlowitz," writes IndieWIRE reporter Bryce Renninger, "one woman strikes the viewer as so incredibly genuine, so effectively focused on making change in the streets, it is impossible to watch her on screen without getting chills.  Ameena Matthews is a reformed woman from a checkered past; her father is Jeff Fort, a notorious Chicago gang leader and she herself was involved with a drug ring.  After finding love, children, and faith in her Muslim family, Ameena joined the Chicago group of gang violence “interrupters,” CeaseFire, in taking violence protection to the streets--literally.

Many NY dispute resolvers have seen the film. Most know about the film. Now, at the next NYC-DR Roundtable Breakfast, you can meet Ameena Matthews as well as a group of New York Interrupters from the Save Our Streets program sponsored by the Crown Heights Mediation Center and led by Amy Ellenbogen.

These two women and their colleagues have direct answers to that question we dispute resolvers frequently ask in the face of ongoing conflict, “What can we do?”