The activists and leaders who live and breathe this movement for justice bring you Whose Streets? - a documentary about the Ferguson uprising. When unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by police and then left lying in the street for hours, it marks a breaking point for the residents of St. Louis county. Grief, long-standing tension, and renewed anger bring St. Louis residents together to hold vigil and protest.
As all eyes turn to Ferguson, the Grand Jury, and the response to the non-indictment, people became desensitized by the scenes of chaos. The image of Mike Brown's tragic final moment, pants low, one shoe strewn across the street, became a meme. The victim, a young boy with a bright future, became an object of discussion—subject to apathy, judgment, and even ridicule, but rarely compassion.
And in the months to follow, artists, musicians, teachers, and parents turned into freedom fighters, standing on the front lines to demand justice. Even as the National Guard descended on Ferguson with military grade weaponry, these community members become the torchbearers of a new wave of resistance. For this generation, the battle is not for civil rights, but for the right to live.
Whose Streets? is a first-hand look at how the murder of one teenage boy became the last straw for a community under siege. It tells of an uprising which began here, and later became the focal point for a national movement. This is a film for all of America – it provides insight into the unseen reality of racism, the role of media in conflict, state-sanctioned violence, and militarized policing – but at its core it is Ferguson’s story, it is our cry of “enough is enough”.
We are making this film, in part, as tribute to our people—our deeply complex, courageous, flawed, powerful, and ever hopeful people—who dare to dream of brighter days. This is more than a documentary, this is a story we personally lived along with our brothers and sisters who continue to fight in this movement. This is our story to tell.
