Mike Brown Documentary 'Stranger Fruit' and Its New Surveillance Footage Raise Questions

There’s a new video of the late Michael Brown inside the convenience store he allegedly later rob. According to a new documentary 'Stranger Fruit' released at SXSW in Austin Texas this past weekend.

The footage shows Mr. Brown entering the store, Ferguson Market and Liquor, shortly after 1 a.m. on the day he died. He approaches the counter, hands over an item that appears to be a small bag and takes a shopping sack filled with cigarillos. Mr. Brown is shown walking toward the door with the sack, then turning around and handing the cigarillos back across the counter before exiting. Jason Pollock, filmmaker and the producer of the documentary who acquired the new tape, says the footage challenges the police narrative that Mr. Brown committed a strong-armed robbery when he returned to the store around noon that day. Instead, Mr. Pollock believes that the new video shows Mr. Brown giving a small bag of marijuana to store employees and receiving cigarillos in return as part of a negotiated deal. Mr. Pollock said Mr. Brown left the cigarillos behind the counter for safekeeping.

So here's the gist of the new claim: Mike Brown was trading drugs for cigarillos but, for some reason, walked out without his

part of the deal that night and came back the next day to get them. The owners of the store are disputing this version of events. Does this change our understanding of what happened the day Mike Brown was shot?

Mike Brown parents among activists at Ferguson march

Clearly this video was not released because it would have also questioned the store clerk and owners. The media, state attorneys and Darren Wilson's (the officer who shot and killed Brown) attorneys focus was on Mike Brown's character. The agenda was to slander the murdered by cop victim's character. Painting a violent picture of him in efforts of depicting him as scary and violent Black man, who was actually in his summer between high school and first year in college.

Pollock compellingly points a finger at the institutionalized racism that has permeated a disturbing number of the country's police forces in this documentary.

Jason Pollock is a filmmaker and founder of Boom Content, his creative agency which works in NYC and LA. He wrote and directed the feature doc, "The Youngest Candidate," which premiered in '09. From '03 - '06 Pollock worked as assistant to Michael Moore during the making of "Fahrenheit 9/11." He is also a co-founder Mr. Moore's Traverse City Film Festival.

Why is that a non-Black person brought this to light producing a documentary and not a Black person? There are many Blacks filled with exuberant talents and skills to produce violent youtube series' and comedic Instagram skits, yet not many show enough interest in producing any media informing, educating or empowering Black Culture.