HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — A Detroit-area community that targeted blacks by demolishing poor neighborhoods is scrambling to come up with money to finally end the case — 44 years after a federal judge found clear evidence of discrimination.
The judge, Damon Keith, is now 93 years old and still overseeing what’s considered the longest-running housing bias case in the U.S. But during a recent meeting in his office, he delivered another tough verdict: Finish this soon or another judge will take over.
“This thing can’t go on. ... I’m not a quitter,” Keith told lawyers around a conference table, “but I just get tired.”
