Confronting Death: What Does Barnes v. Felix Reveal About The Future of American Policing?
The American court system, given the duty to interpret and elaborate upon the intent of the Constitution and its founders, is implicated as a tool of both revolutionary change and status quo-entrenchment. In Necropolitics, Achille Mbembe explains how governing institutions bend to the perspectives, emotions, and fears of the white populace to affirm democracy—and what must be done for a brighter future. Necropolitical analysis privileges Barnes v. Felix (2025) as a possible moment of reprieve, where the oft-suppressed narrative value of Black life is brought into the legal conversation, fostering potential for more equitable race relations in a divided America.
