Whose Streets? Documentary Streaming on PBS

A memorial for Michael Brown Jr. in Ferguson, Mo. (Credit: Magnolia Pictures)

A new documentary film Whose Streets? premieres on the PBS POV series this week. You can watch the full film here through Aug. 13.

When unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, and left lying in the street for hours, it marked a breaking point for the residents of the St. Louis area and beyond. Uniting people from the community and across the nation, a movement—propelled by young activists and Ferguson community members—was born.

Whose Streets? is an unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising and the movement that followed, told from the perspective of three local activists, delving deep into their lives after Brown’s death.

Watch the Trailer

Brittany Ferrell, a 25-year-old nursing student and mother of a young daughter, is one such activist. In the months following Brown’s murder, she and her partner, Alexis Templeton, founded the group Millennial Activists United. After Ferrell leaves school, activism becomes her life. With each new protest, Ferrell and Templeton start putting their lives on the line: at one point they blockade a major interstate highway and Ferrell faces arrest. “You sacrifice your comfort, your security… You sacrifice everything to do this work,” she says.

Watch a clip

Whose Streets? is by filmmakers and activists Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis. It is a co-presentation with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and was an official selection at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

Filmmaker Interview