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A ‘great’ Detroit father’s final wish gets granted — as helicopter drops money and rose petals from the sky

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A ‘great’ Detroit father’s final wish gets granted — as helicopter drops money and rose petals from the sky


Making it rain one last time.

A Detroit man’s dying wish to have thousands of dollars fall from the sky by helicopter as his “last blessing” to his community was honored by his family last month.

Darrell “Plant” Thomas, a 58-year-old car wash owner in East Detroit known for his generosity, died after a battle with Alzheimer’s on June 15, and wanted to have a dramatic send–off.

Darrell “Plant” Thomas’ dying wish was to have thousands of dollars fall from the sky by helicopter at his funeral. Crystal Perry

At his funeral on June 27, his sons organized a helicopter to drop $5,000 and rose petals on unsuspecting mourners as they honored their father at the event held on Gratiot Avenue and Connor Street.

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“This was a final expression of love from him to the community because he was a giver,” Thomas’s niece, Crystal Perry, told the Detroit Free Press.

“Yesterday was simply a farewell tribute to an Eastside legend.”

Footage from the event shows a helicopter hovering in a clear blue sky, while petals and money rain down, causing people to scream with excitement and rush to catch them on the ground.

In other videos, people are seen happily scooping up bills from the street, bending down to grab handfuls of cash as it floated across the pavement.

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At his funeral on June 27, his sons organized a helicopter to drop $5,000 and rose petals on unsuspecting mourners as they honored their father at the event held on Gratiot Avenue and Connor Street. Crystal Perry/Facebook

Traffic along the six-lane road of Gratiot Avenue came to a standstill for several minutes as funeral goers and onlookers rushed to grab some of the cash.

However, instead of turning into mayhem with people trying to fill their pockets, the crowd remained calm as they went for the money.

“Everybody got a little bit,” Lisa Knife, an employee at the nearby Airport Express Lube & Service, told the Detroit News of the surreal scene.

People are seen happily scooping up bills from the street, bending down to grab handfuls of cash as it floated across the pavement. Crystal Perry/Facebook

Knife said she didn’t rush to grab the money, but took the moment to admire how the gesture brought members of the Motor City community together.

“There was no fighting, none of that. It was really beautiful,” Knife said.

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One of Thomas’s sons, Dante — better known as “Smoke” — told Fox 2 Detroit that he added some of his own cash and that the gesture was the least they could do to honor a man so beloved in his community.

Instead of turning into mayhem with people trying to fill their pockets, the crowd remained calm as they went for the money. Crystal Perry/Facebook

“Detroit, y’all might not know who my father was, but he was a great father,” Smoke said.

“Among his community he was a legend, and he blessed everyone and that was his last blessing to everyone. That’s all it was. Many blessings to everyone and long live Plant. Long live Plant that’s it.”

The Detroit Police Department briefly closed off traffic to allow the crowd to enjoy Thomas’s final send-off safely. They were aware of the rose petals — but said they were surprised by the money.

Police said they are not investigating the incident. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation.

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Thomas owned Showroom Shine Express, a business he poured his heart into for decades, and was known to many as a passionate professional race car driver with the National Hot Rod Association.



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Detroit, MI

NFC NORTH: Where all four teams stand heading into Week 8

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NFC NORTH: Where all four teams stand heading into Week 8


MINNESOTA

Week 7 result: Philadelphia 28, Minnesota 22

Offensive rank: 20th (318.7)

Scoring offense: 15th (24.2)

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Defensive rank: 9th (301.7)

Scoring defense: 10th (20.8)

Star performer: Wide receiver Justin Jefferson recorded five receptions for 79 yards in Minnesota’s loss Sunday. Jefferson has 529 career receptions and surpassed DeAndre Hopkins (528 receptions) for the second-most receptions by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. Only Jarvis Landry (564 receptions) has more. Jefferson has 34 receptions on the season for 528 receiving yards.

Quotable: “The main issue was in the red zone today, just hurting ourselves and causing us to go backwards instead of forward,” Jefferson told vikings.com of their 1-for-6 performance in the red zone vs. Philadelphia Sunday. “We’ve got to execute our plays to the fullest, take one play at a time, and when the opportunity comes, make those plays.

“One of those red zone drives is, that’s me dropping the touchdown and not pulling the ball all way the in. I’m always critical of myself and always, especially, my opportunities are very, very slim, so those opportunities, I’ve got to make the most of them.”

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Twentyman: Sunday was a good test for the Vikings squaring off against the defending Super Bowl champs. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts maxed out his NFL passer rating (158.3) by completing 19 of 23 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Scoring in the red zone (1-for-6) and allowing big plays on defense lead to Minnesota’s downfall Sunday. The red zone has been an issue for the Vikings all season (ranked 20th). It’s something they must clean up in an ultra-competitive division like the North.

Next up: at Los Angeles Chargers (4-3), Thurs., Oct. 23, 8:15 p.m.



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Why did officials go to monitor twice in Lions vs. Bucs? Pool report offers explanation

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Why did officials go to monitor twice in Lions vs. Bucs? Pool report offers explanation


Sometimes, all it takes is a week for the pendulum to swing.

After being on the wrong end of some controversial officiating in a loss at the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, the Detroit Lions benefitted from a rather confusing sequence involving the referees in their 24-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.

The play in question came with 11:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield dropped back to pass on fourth-and-medium and found tight end Cade Otton over the middle of the field. Otton, covered by linebacker Alex Anzalone, extended for the line to gain. The ball came loose, and the Bucs recovered. A fumble on fourth down can’t be advanced by the offense unless it’s collected by the player who fumbled. Otton didn’t get on top of the ball, but the referees’ initial ruling was Otton had gained enough yards for a first down.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell threw the challenge flag. Confusion first arose because it was announced in the stadium that the Lions were challenging whether Otton completed the process of the catch. In the postgame pool report, however, NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth said Campbell specified he was challenging the line to gain. Regardless, “all reviewable aspects of the play are under review” during a challenge, according to Butterworth, no matter what the challenge is for.

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Also drawing some controversy was the replay review itself. Officials made their way to the monitor and initially upheld the call on the field, giving the Bucs, trailing by 15 points and near midfield, a first down. The referees then went back to the monitor for what appeared to be a second look at the replay. They returned with a different ruling, this time saying Otton was short of the first down. Also of note: Otton was down before he fumbled.

Butterworth explained the second review was triggered because there was access gained to a camera angle that was not available when they first went to the monitor.

“Later in the process we received an enhanced view from broadcast that showed that when the knee was down, the ball was short of the line to gain,” Butterworth said. “We were having issues with the referee’s O2O (official-to-official communication system), which is why he (the referee on the field) was brought back to the monitor. We did not show him anything on the screen at that point, it was simply to communicate to clean up the ruling on the field.”

Mayfield said after the game he was “still pretty damn confused about the double review.”

“A lot of things in that game that were a little questionable, but a lot of frustration at the end of that (game),” Mayfield said. “It might be displaced onto (NFL official) John Hussey in the moment, but it’s — I work my ass off and I put a lot into this game, so when things that I don’t see are deemed fair, I’m going to let somebody know.”

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rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18



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Former congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick lying in state at Wright Museum

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Former congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick lying in state at Wright Museum


Former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick lie in state on Monday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History for a daylong visitation ahead of her funeral on Wednesday.

Cheeks Kilpatrick, 80, died on Oct. 7 following a long illness, family and friends said.

The mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick served seven terms in Congress and nine terms in the Michigan House of Representatives as a Democrat. She left office at the end of 2010 after losing reelection in a Democratic primary.

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Cheeks Kilpatrick’s funeral is planned to begin at noon on Wednesday at Greater Emmanuel Church of God in Christ, 19190 Schaefer Hwy., on Detroit’s west side.

Monday’s visitation was scheduled from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the museum, 315 E. Warren.



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