‘Just Mercy’: How to watch the movie based on Bryan Stevenson, a civil rights lawyer; it’s free to stream in June

‘Just Mercy,’ a film based on the life of civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, is available to stream for free this month.

In a statement, Warner Bros. said it believes “in the power of story” and wants citizens to view the film as part of the ongoing national dialogue surrounding race relations and “the systemic racism that plagues our society."

The movie maker’s decision comes as protests continue in cities across the country after an unarmed African-American man, George Floyd, died in police custody in Minnesota last week after being restrained by the knee of white officer Derek Chauvin, who has since been charged with manslaughter and third-degree murder. It is believed that police were planning to question Floyd in relation to a forgery incident.

Stevenson, 60, is the founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama. He has won multiple equal rights arguments in front of the Supreme Court, and the Initiative has “won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and aiding children prosecuted as adults,” according to its website.
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“You can’t understand these present-day issues without understanding the persistent refusal to view black people as equals,” Stevenson recently told The New Yorker. "It has changed, but that history of violence, where we used terror and intimidation and lynching and then Jim Crow laws and then the police, created this presumption of dangerousness and guilt.

“It doesn’t matter how hard you try, how educated you are, where you go in this country—if you are black, or you are brown, you are going to have to navigate that presumption, and that makes encounters with the police just rife with the potential for these specific outcomes which we have seen.”

"We believe in the power of story.

"Our film Just Mercy, based on the life work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, is one resource we can humbly offer to those who are interested in learning more about the systemic racism that plagues our society.

"For the month of June, Just Mercy will be available to rent for free across digital platforms in the U.S.

"To actively be part of the change our country is so desperately seeking, we encourage you to learn more about our past and the countless injustices that have led us to where we are today.

"Thank you to the artists, storytellers and advocates who helped make this film happen. Watch with your family, friends and allies.

“For further information on Bryan Stevenson and his work at the Equal Justice Initiative please visit eji.org.”

Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon Prime, Redbox, and YouTube are just a few of the streaming providers offering the movie for free. Click here for a full listing.
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