sent in by the City of New Orleans
In case you missed it, the award-winning documentary “The Interrupters” aired last night on PBS. The film centers on the successful “Ceasefire” program in Chicago where the goal was to interrupt the cycle of retaliatory violence.
The City of New Orleans is implementing the “Ceasefire” program now. As the project moves forward, it will employ “interrupters” who are either ex-offenders or individuals on the ground, to reach members of the community who are most likely to shoot or be shot. These individuals will intervene when there is the potential for violence to arise, mediate high-risk conflict situations and prevent retaliatory violence.
In September of 2011, Mayor Mitch Landrieu held a Crime Action Summit where he dedicated $250,000 to the “Ceasefire” program in New Orleans.