KANSAS CITY, Kan. — On Tuesday, the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department responded to a crime spree that included the stabbing death of an elderly man, a woman and ended with police shooting a suspect.
On Wednesday, Taylor Penrod, owner of the Grounded Sole Coffeehouse, used her business to pray and write get well cards to Stephanie Perez, one of the stabbing victims.
“Build your kingdom here, let the darkness fear show your mighty hand, heal our streets and lands, set our hearts ablaze, and let hope change the atmosphere we pray,” Penrod said while reading one of the letters.
Penrod created a safe space for others to come together in prayer for Perez at the coffee shop located in KCK's Argentine neighborhood.
“Your storms are only temporary, but the blessings of God will last forever — you are very special to us,” Penrod said.
Police say Perez was stabbed multiple times by John McGriff Tuesday as she walked home from volunteering at the food pantry of a nearby church.
“Hope and peace came up over and over, still have hope in the light even in moments of darkness,” Penrod said.
The community is putting their thoughts and prayers for Perez on paper, writing her get well cards and motivational notes.
“When people come together, when people can gather and do life together, there is hope in that,” Penrod said.
Penrod is not only donating proceeds to Perez's GoFundMe, but also providing a space for her family and others to gather.
“We as a community and as a city can rally around people, to get people the help that they need, so that people don’t have to keep in hopeless and helpless situations,” Penrod said.
Penrod and others now hope that people here can continue to hold on to each other for Perez's sake in a place they call home.
“It’s not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it,” Penrod said.
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