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55 yrs ago today, Lyndon Johnson signed into law Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII of which is now at stake wrt LGBT rights). On this anniversary, re-upping my fav story involving @tylerperry & segregationist Moreton Rolleston. To quote @KevinMKruse, let's dig in... (Thread) /1 
Rolleston was a segregationist. Not only did he refuse to accept black patrons at his motel, but he suggested that Atlanta's public schools avoid desegregation by selling school buildings to private corporations, thereby limiting government dictates. /2
Even when 14 of the leading Atlanta hotels agreed in 1963 (a year before the enactment of the CRA) to desegregate), Heart of Atlanta Motel still declined. /3
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title II prohibited discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin in public accommodations engaged in interstate commerce. /4
About 2 hrs after LBJ signed CRA into law, Rolleston rushed to the local district court to challenge the CRA & when it was closed (4th of July weekend), he went to home of the chief clerk to file his complaint challenging CRA's constitutionality, saying he wouldn't integrate. /5
Rolleston was adamant that unless the Supreme Court of the United States ordered him to do so, the Heart of Atlanta Motel would not rent to people of color (though it's a safe bet that that wasn't his actual phrase of choice). /6
Rolleston argued his case before the Supreme Court on October 5, 1964, holding that Congress had exceeded its Article I powers under the Interstate Commerce Clause and had intruded on the 10th Amendment's reservation of rights to the states. /7
Rolleston argued further that the Civil Rights Act posed an unconstitutional infringement on his 13th Amendment protections against involuntary servitude because he was being compelled to serve, rather than decline service, to minorities. (The word "chutzpah comes to mind.) /8
Rolleston obviously 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 very 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 even 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 responded: "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…
There's a lot in the world that's awful now, and a lot of uncertainty about what's going to happen to Title VII in the next Supreme Court term, but on the CRA anniversary, I think we can all enjoy this story of Tyler Perry bringing down this racist SOB who fought the CRA. /fin
