L. Brooks Patterson opposed the desegregation busing plan related to Detroit Public Schools up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided Milliken v. Bradley. Patterson gained prominence supporting the bitter opposition to Judge Damon Keith's federal court order to integrate the Pontiac Public Schools. (Notoriously, the KKK bombed 10 of Pontiac's school buses the night before the integration was to start.)
His long campaign to take away control of Detroit assets such as Cobo Hall and its water and sewage system are examples. So is his militant opposition to regional transit.
Patterson faced criticism after comments he made about the city of Detroit were released in an article entitled "Drop Dead, Detroit!". Patterson was quoted as saying, among other things, "What we're going to do is turn Detroit into an Indian reservation, where we herd all the Indians into the city, build a fence around it, and then throw in the blankets and corn".
In 2016, Patterson led a legal challenge to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Oakland County.
He's dying of cancer? Meh. Save your tears for someone who deserves them.
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