By SheelaR

L. Brooks Patterson is a lawyer and politician, he is currently the Oakland County Executive in Metropolitan Detroit area. Mr. Patterson was interviewed for New Yorker magazine in a piece titled “Drop Dead Detroit”.  In this article. Mr. Patterson boasted of his penchant for being a “Detroit brasher.”

This morning, I read some excerpts from his interview with New Yorker magazine.  Wow! Explosive. I cannot believe you said those things. Yes, Detroit is in the midst of socio-economic hard times, but that was brutal and unnecessary attack on your part. There is and has always been a racial and socio-economic divide between the city and it’s suburbs, but as a major public servant in the region, you should not be fostering the continuation of the divide.  Detroit’s success is critical to that of it’s surrounding counties, and that should be your focus. You and your opinions are the products of a bygone era and it is time for you to quietly go away. It is time to let those with new ideas and attitudes serve.  

These are perilous economic times for us all and it is unfortunate that you choose this time in Detroit’s history to discourage people from frequenting and supporting the city. This is not behavior becoming of a leader.  Clearly, you hate the city and everything it stands for.  The question now becomes, why?  One can’t help but wonder if it is racial in nature.  

Detroit is mostly filed with African Americans, most of whom would not choose to live in poverty and would no doubt welcome the opportunity to prosper through diligence and hard work. Yes, there are a few bad apples.  However, you indicted entire city. What about those hard-working citizens who who take pride in their city and homes? Did you forget about them? What about the the business owners who’ve chosen to stick it out and ride with Detroit through the good and bad? 

It appears that no one is safe from your visceral attracts on the city and its residents. What a sad and shameful legacy you will leave behind with these ugly mean words. I hope that you are a big enough man to take ownership and apologize for your egregious transgression. Deflecting responsibly will not be enough to absolve you. Written history will always serve to remind you and those who love you, what a sad mean old man you are.