For Immediate Release: May 15, 2025
Contact: media@colorofchange.org
COLOR OF CHANGE AFFIRMS SUPREME COURT DECISION IN BARNES V. FELIX ADVANCING POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY
NATIONAL – Today, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the “moment of threat” doctrine, a legal theory created to shield police officers from accountability by ignoring relevant circumstances of police violence. The case of Barnes v. Felix contested this theory after Janice Barnes petitioned that a Houston police officer used excessive force against her son Ashtian Barnes in 2016, leading to his death.
In response, Portia Allen-Kyle, Interim Executive Director of Color Of Change issued the following statement:
“Ashtian Barnes’ murder was a preventable tragedy. He was killed by an officer over a $6.45 toll debt during a traffic stop. Today’s unanimous Supreme Court ruling is a critical step forward in holding law enforcement accountable for their actions with deadly consequences. For years, legal shields have been crafted to help police officers escape accountability, and today’s ruling is an important rejection of one of those shields. Traffic stops for minor infractions, like toll violations, are all too common in the United States, and they escalate into uses of unnecessary force, disproportionately taking the lives of Black men. Ashtian Barnes is one name on a tragic list of Black men fatally shot by police after being stopped for minor traffic violations, including: Philando Castile for a broken brake light in Minnesota; Walter Scott for a broken taillight in South Carolina; Samuel DuBose for a missing tag in Ohio; and Daunte Wright for expired registration tags in Minnesota.
Color Of Change proudly issued an amicus brief in support of Janice Barnes in 2024, opposing the application of the “moment of threat” doctrine by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and urging the Supreme Court to consider all facets of the case. We remain committed to deconstructing laws and practices that prevent accountability for the loss of Black lives.”
###
ABOUT COLOR OF CHANGE:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by millions of members, we move decision-makers in corporations and governments to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.