“The Interrupters” Ameena Matthews on The Colbert Report

Share:

Ameena Matthews on The Colbert Report. (ComedyCentral.com)

February 2, 2012
Watch a preview of The Interrupters, an intimate journey across the violent landscape of our cities through the eyes of those fighting to sow peace and security, which airs on FRONTLINE Feb. 14. Check your local listings.

“My goal is to save a life.”

Last night “violence interrupter” Ameena Matthews was on The Colbert Report to talk about The Interrupters, which airs on FRONTLINE Feb. 14.

Shot over the course of a year in Chicago, the film follows Ameena and two other interrupters, Eddie Bocanegra and Cobe Williams, as they attempt to intervene before situations turn violent: two brothers threatening to shoot each other; an angry teenage girl just home from prison; a young man heading down a warpath of revenge.

People listen to her, she tells Stephen Colbert, “because I’m considered a credible messenger. “I’ve been there and I’ve done that. I’ve been out there in the streets of Chicago.”

Watch the segment, embedded below, to learn more about where she believes violence comes from and why she treats violence as a disease.


More Stories

9/11, More Than 20 Years Later: 20 Essential Documentaries to Watch
These films, selected from more than two decades of extensive FRONTLINE reporting, probe that fateful day and its lasting impacts on America and the world.
September 5, 2025
Watch FRONTLINE’s 5 Most-Streamed Documentaries of 2025 (So Far)
Looking for some documentaries to watch as summer continues? We’ve got you covered.
August 6, 2025
Tonight's New Documentary, This Month, and the Future
A note from FRONTLINE Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath.
July 29, 2025
The Iran-Israel Conflict and the U.S. Role: 11 Documentaries to Watch
Decades of tensions between Israel and Iran erupted into war in June. These FRONTLINE films offer context and background on the conflict, both countries’ leaders and ambitions, the role of the U.S., and the ongoing impact across the Middle East.
July 29, 2025