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Rolleston was adamant that unless the Supreme Court ordered him to do so, the Heart of Atlanta Motel would not rent to people of color (though I'm pretty sure that wasn't his phrase of choice). /6 
Rolleston argued his case before the Supreme Court, holding that Congress had exceeded its powers under the Interstate Commerce Clause and intruded on the 10th Amendment's reservation of rights to the states. /7
Rolleston further argued that the CRA posed an unconstitutional infringement on his 13th Amendment protections against involuntary servitude bc he was compelled to serve, rather than decline service to classes of customers. (The word "chutzpah" comes to mind.) /8
Rolleston lost in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. US and sold the motel for about $11 million. Many years later, Rolleston's house was seized amid legal malpractice issues. The house was sold to none other than Tyler Perry, who sought to demolish it and build a new nome. /9
So, the man so determined not to let people of color rent rooms in his motel that he argued his case at the Supreme Court found himself in the position of his home being sold to a person of color. Not too surprisingly, Rolleston wasn't thrilled about this development. /10
Rolleston then sued Tyler Perry, claiming that he was the true owner of the property. Rolleston continued to try to regain his property despite a series of rulings that resulted in Rolleston being jailed, fined, and threatened with disbarrment. /11
Rolleston showed up at the property seeking to remove Perry's construction crews from the property he'd lawfully obtained, arguing that he was still the rightful owner. Perry: "At this point, I just don't know what to do to get rid of this guy." /12
Rolleston was jailed for contempt. Perry said of Rolleston's persistence, "I thought when he went to jail, that would be the end of it. Who wants to go to jail at 87? This time I was pretty shocked." /13
Rolleston's aggressive litigation over the property, objecting to Perry's purchase, resulted in Rolleston being disbarred at age 89 after decades of fighting racial progress. So Tyler Perry brought down the man who fought the 1964 CRA in Court. Karma. alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/mockups/ne… /fin
