The tragic death of Michael Brown has captivated the media yet again. This past Saturday, more questions arose about the controversial case. At South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival, the public learned of the existence of a surveillance video from the convenience store Mike Brown was last seen at before he was fatally killed by white police officer Darren Wilson. The shooting erupted Ferguson, Missouri into a historically significant period of unrest. Jason Pollock’s documentary Stranger Fruit shows us new, crucial information on what happened August 9th, 2014.
Some people generally believe that Brown had stolen cigarillos on him at the time of encountering Wilson. Wilson had two stories. One claimed that he had stopped Brown for walking in the middle of the street. The other entailed that he has been responding to a report of a robbed convenience store. He stumbled upon Mike Brown soon after.
However, Pollock’s SXSW film seems to reveal otherwise. The security video shows Brown actually leaving something on the counter. It is debatably marijuana – people behind the counter pick it up to smell it. A clerk put Brown’s items in a bag. He picks up the bag, but then goes back to the counter. The bag is returned, and Brown leaves.
Pollock argues that this was a exchange, and a fair one at that. However, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch feels that the video in the film is poorly edited, misleading, and has no standing in the case.
What do you think about the new Mike Brown security footage?