"What Killed Michael Brown?" is a documentary film written and narrated by Shelby Steele and directed by his filmmaker son, Eli Steele, which was scheduled to premiere on October 16, 2020. It addresses race relations in the United States and in particular an incident in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 involving Michael Brown. Steele has opined that there is "poetic truth" concerning the death of Michael Brown. Steele said "The language—he was 'executed,' he was 'assassinated,' 'hands up, don’t shoot'—it was a stunning example of poetic truth, of the lies that a society can entertain in pursuit of power." Steele additionally said "In a microcosm, that’s where race relations are today. The truth has no chance. It’s smothered by the politics of victimization." Amazon initially rejected it for its streaming service but later relented after coming under fire from op-eds in the Wall Street Journal and other sources.