In 1994 Rosa Parks victim of assault and robbery. Fearing for her safety and concerned by her situation in general Mike Ilitch paid her rent, and he continued to do so until she passed away in 2005.

Who the hell is Mike Ilitch you may be thinking?

He is a man whom many are giving amazing stories about as he has passed at the age of 87. He is a man who owned and founded ‘Little Caesars’ pizza chain, the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers. Ilitch passed away on Friday and the stories just keep coming! In the case of Rosa and Mike, sportsbusinessdaily.com wrote:

In his chambers in Detroit, Judge Damon Keith holds a copy of a check in his hand and has a story to tell. It’s about the time Mike Ilitch came to the aid of Rosa Parks, whose legendary defiance of segregation in 1955 led to the black civil rights movement.

Judge Damon Keith shows one of the checks that Ilitch paid for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks’ housing.

“It’s for $2,000, dated November the first, 1994. It’s from Little Caesars Enterprises to Riverfront Apartments, and I know it was just one of many,” said Keith, 91, who has been a U.S. Court of Appeals judge in Detroit for the last 46 years. “It’s important that people know what Mr.

Mike Ilitch did for Ms. Rosa Parks because it’s symbolic of what he has always done for the people of our city.”

On Aug. 31, 1994, Parks, then 81, was robbed and assaulted in her home in central Detroit.

Keith called real estate developer Alfred Taubman, the owner of Riverfront Apartments, about finding a safer home for Parks. Taubman pledged to find the best home available.

When Ilitch read about Keith’s plan and Taubman’s promise in the newspaper, he called the judge and said he would pay for Parks’ housing for as long as necessary. (Parks passed away in 2005 at the age of 92). Keith served as the executor of the trust established for Parks’ housing.

Read more in sportsbusinessdaily.com.

It’s sad Rosa ever ended up in this situation but we can all be happy that Mike was there.

THIS IS WHAT COMMUNITY IS. IT GOES BEYOND COLOR, RELIGION OR DIFFERENCE AND WE EMBRACE OUR ICONS, EMBRACE OUR ELDERS.

RESPECT TO MIKE AND ROSA. TWO LEGENDS OF DETROIT.