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Michael Brown's mother announces she's running for city council in Ferguson

The mother of Michael Brown appeared at Harvard’s Kennedy School Monday night to discuss “Stranger Fruit," the documentary about the 2014 shooting death of her son.

The film looks at Brown’s 2014 death in Ferguson, Missouri. The unarmed black 18-year-old was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer who was never charged.

It’s a deadly encounter that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement, protests and conversation over police brutality and race relations.

Brown’s mother says she hopes the film will challenge the status quo and narrative that Wilson was acting in self-defense.

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"What we're trying to do is keep hope there, hold on to faith and pray that this will change [the] hearts of people there," said McSpadden.

While she spoke at the Harvard University panel, McSpadden announced some big news of her own - that she's running for office.

She announced on Monday night she will be running for city council back in Ferguson to effect the change she says needs to happen.

Should McSpadden win, that could mean she could have some oversight over the police department that's been criticized in the new film about her son's death.

"Of course I want justice for my son, he deserves it," said McSpadden. "Because what happened to him, he didn't deserve it."

McSpadden said that, while it's been nearly four years since 18-year-old Michael was killed, talking about it never gets any easier.

According to those behind the documentary, the movie uncovers new evidence that they say warrants a second look at Brown's case and challenges the narrative that Wilson was acting in self-defense.

"I decided to put my stuff in storage and basically moved to Ferguson because I was really, really mad," said the film's director.

"Almost without fail officers in unjustified shootings always say that the victim was reaching for a gun," said a lawyer. "[The] gun almost always never exists - it's something officers are trained to say."

McSpadden said that, while the film won't bring back her son, it could still help other families feeling the same pain.

"Strange Fruit" is available for download now, but filmmakers said they're working on a nationwide tour and hope to provide free screenings for minority communities.