The Interrupters Page #8

Let her be, let her be.

If she got green,

leave it green.

She got like that

lizard green.

Now, this is a very

expensive manicure.

If I see you out there

biting your nails,

we gonna be on the ground,

boxing.

You better be worried.

How does it feel?

Nice, right?

Yeah.

Don't slap him, don't hit him.

Enjoy it.

So, where are you from?

Rockford.

What made you move

all the way out here?

'Cause I was

getting in trouble.

I used to fight every day

at school.

Where does

that get you?

Huh?

Where does that get you,

fighting?

Nowhere.

Finally figured

that out, huh?

Yeah.

Only for one brief second

you become the winner.

Mm-hmm.

But then, the only thing

you win is your own pride.

But, but, where's that gonna

take you anywhere in life?

I don't go out and start trouble

with everybody.

When she bring it,

she bring it hard.

We were doing a

conflict mediation and...

Just happened to be the

only girl standing outside.

And when you came

to the house, what you thought?

It was different.

Because like, you actually

was talking to me.

You know, you deserve

to be happy.

You know, you 19.

You deserve, like you said,

to be having girly stuff done.

That's a whole

different hand, man.

Why do you feel like you want

to cry but you don't want to?

I don't know.

It's okay.

I cry.

Big girls cry.

Angels make prayer

in your tears,

when you, when you crying

and you grateful.

When you're crying and you're

asking God to help you.

I'm really so glad

I met you, man.

You know?

You guys remember

where we left off last week?

We're working on our what?

Backgrounds.

Backgrounds, right.

It's about using your brush.

Crisscrosses.

C's.

Last year, I had

a hard time going to schools.

I was like, "Hey, look,

I work for the violence

prevention program. "

A lot of them didn't want

to acknowledge

that there was issues

in their schools.

I used the pencil

to sketch it out

and I shaded the background.

Oh, you shaded it, okay.

Namaste contacted CeaseFire.

They were actually focusing

after school about violence

and how they could help

the community and so forth.

And I was like,

"What do you think about the

idea of maybe introducing art

for them to express themselves

about violence?"

Now this one right here,

I kind of really like this one.

And when I was in prison,

painting was my form of dealing

with my issues and my problems

and really discovering myself.

You got this angel,

he's in Hell,

and behind him is like

some demons, taunting him.

Art is kind

of a way to hook the kids

and what they're

thinking about.

What's the one thing

in the neighborhood

that you wish people could

focus on more, to help out?

Spray painting.

What about you?

The shootings

in the neighborhood.

The shootings?

Because my mom's

scared that

there's gonna be a shooting

going on while I'm outside.

I would want them

to help with the shooting,

because that really bothers me.

Why does it bother you?

Because there was this one time

when our neighbors

got into a fight and...

I don't know what else happened,

but somebody started shooting.

And...

I really don't...

And what

you're doing right here,

being part of this program,

that's a great thing,

because it shows that you care

and that you want to do

something about it.

And I just

wish that these kids,

if they ever go through that,

it doesn't affect them

the same way it affected me.

My coping mechanism is keep

going, keep going, keep going.

Keep working.

I think I stay busy just

to stay out of bullshit, and...

try to forget about some

of the things that I've done.

When I was 18, a very close

friend of mine was paralyzed.

I'm feeling this anger,

I'm feeling this rage.

I'm feeling like, they shot one

of our guys, we're going back.

When I pass through that block,

it seems so different.

And I try to kind of rewind.

And no matter how much I try

to remember it,

it just don't come out.

It's hard for me to say

the victim's name,

and... and even the crime.

I guess I really try

to detach myself, like,

not putting a face.

But in reality,

the face is there.

The face is still there.

And I... I had to be careful

as well out here,

because I knew these guys

were packing.

And... I'd say by

the fire hydrant over there.

This dude just kind of

came out the cars.

Shot him pretty much

point blank.

It was a whole bunch

of his friends, too,

that were behind the cars.

And I was trying

to shoot them as well.

But it was more like on the

defensive side by that time.

It was more like,

just to make sure that

they didn't shoot at me.

It's funny because

this block itself

has claimed a lot of lives.

This one particular block

right here.

CeaseFire.

# It's foolish shooting,

it must stop #

# It's getting cruel,

children going to school #

# And gotta duck shots #

# No more bliss,

ignore this we must not #

# Like Latosha Hawlin, she was

murdered on the bus stop #

# Two gunshots

and she just dropped #

# Daily living, I speak

the grief of the streets #

# So they maybe listen

and pay attention #

# Help lead us through this mess

we infested with death #

# And that leaves us

too depressed #

# Like when Derrion Albert

was beaten to his death #

# Had his momma too upset

crying speaking to the press #

# Man, it's too much,

we began to lose touch #

# Jesse Jackson

took every action #

# And rode the school bus. #

Do you all

think we can establish

some type of coexistence or

peace up in Fenger High School

if we all work together?

Fenger can be a better place

if the Gardens won't

come up to there, trying to...

Listen, hear her out.

Hear... give everybody

respect.

Hear her out,

hear her out.

I live in Altgeld Gardens.

And, all this, it's the Gardens,

and they animals.

It's both ways.

You young men

and women have to place

a value and a vision

on your life.

Look at yourself 15 years

down the road.

You will be a full adult.

I cannot believe that I'm

looking at what has happened

to the young people here.

You don't have to

fight anybody.

Everybody don't think

the same way.

Everybody don't

think the same way.

This is not about me

being an old lady

and telling somebody what they

should and should not do.

It's about

you all's life.

And you all need to be heard

all the way through

ends of sentences.

So I'm gonna throw

some scenarios at you,

and I want you all

to just answer honestly.

One of your friends

was just beat up

at a party over the weekend.

You see a couple of kids

that your friend identifies

as the dude

that stole on him.

What do you think

would happen next?

I feel that we gonna fight.

Because it wasn't...

it wasn't no problem

when they jumped on my friend

over the weekend,

so if we see them walking,

we gonna fight.

It ain't like y'all put it.

It's not that easy.

You might walk away

and somebody might put...

hit you in your head

with a bat or something.

Who like to fight?

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