Cease Fire violence interrupter and star of the critically acclaimed documentary The Interrupters appeared last night on The Colbert Report. Matthews held her own in her conversation with Colbert's self-important character. "You're an interrupter in a rude way," she said. "I'm a violence interrupter in saving lives." Well played. more ›

If you haven't seen The Interrupters yet, do so immediately. Bonus: One of the film's stars will be there. more ›

The Steve James-directed, Alex Kotlowitz-produced film has become the highest grossing film in the history of the Gene Siskel Film Center. more ›

Alex Kotlowitz speaks about his years looking into the city's most vexing problems, the differences between writing and making movies, the neighborhoods President Obama's message of hope and change never seem to impact, and more. more ›

The story of a year in the life of three "violence interrupters" as they step into confrontations at the moment they are about to turn into violent altercations in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods, the film's thoughtful and jarringly intimate look at a new approach to dealing with the persistent violence has struck a chord with audiences everywhere it's been shown, and we expect this will shortly be the movie everybody's talking about here. We sat down with Steve James, who is also known for other documentaries such as Stevie and features such as Prefontaine in addition to the legendary Hoop Dreams, at the offices of Kartemquin Films on the north side last week. Our interview with Kotlowitz will run separately. more ›

Producer Steve James and Reporter Alex Kotlowitz put together "The Interrupters," a documentary about CeaseFire and "violence interrupters" who try to put a stop to the violence plaguing their South Side Chicago communities. The film hasn't been released yet, but this trailer has us waiting with bated breath. more ›

The Interrupters is the product of Hoop Dreams auteur Steve James' return to Chicago and collaboration with writer/Chicagoist fave Alex Kotlowitz. A run on the festival circuit is giving the film some serious Oscar buzz. more ›

Recently, authorities in Cape Town met with Dr. Gary Slutkin, the founder of CeaseFire, in order to figure out a way to quell gang violence in and around Cape Town. Members of the South African community attended workshops to discuss bringing a "pilot project" to Cape Town in the near future that would be modeled after Chicago's own methods. more ›

Just a few weeks after two state representatives suggested that the National Guard be brought in to help Chicago Police control the violence, Chicago Police are actually touting a drop in some violent crime. Police superintendent Jody Weis announced crime is down almost seven percent, most violent crime is down 11 percent and the number of homicides this year is below the five-year average for the same period. Weis attributes the decrease to "smart policing; sharing more information among federal, state and local police; and building partnerships within communities." more ›

Now that the weather is warming up, there has been a noticeable increase in violent acts across the city. The problem of gang violence in particular has stirred a lot of emotions, calling for immediate and substantive action against violent crimes. Earlier this week, we heard news that some Chicago leaders wanted to bring in the National Guard to quell violence in Chicago. While Governor Pat Quinn and Mayor Daley haven't warmed up to this idea, citizens have taken up the issue of violence into their own hands, demonstrating the serious need to bring peace to violent neighborhoods. more ›

Days later, fall-out continues from the call to have the National Guard mobilized in Chicago to help curb the city's violence as various government and community leaders weigh in on the matter. more ›

We've hit the ground running with news this morning already but there was plenty happening over the weekend you might have missed. more ›

Fifty Fenger High School students were brought out of their neighborhoods and into the Loop Saturday to discuss peaceful ways to handle conflict, the Chicago Tribune reports. more ›

Today's long read: Chicagoist fave Alex Kotlowitz's captivating portrait of CeaseFire, the anti-gun violence organization whose founder, epidemiologist Gary Slutkin, believes violence should be treated like an infectious disease. more ›