This man's face is familiar to hundreds of Kansas Citians.
He's a cab driver who used to be homeless, but now runs an organization called Care of Poor People. A couple of times a year, around Thanksgiving and Easter, Richard G. Tripp organizes a huge potluck and clothing giveaway. Radio stations help out, as do churches and other random folks who volunteer and make donations. Sometimes a band plays. To hang out with Tripp that day is to see people have a few hours' relief from hard lives. Since he started doing these events, organizations in other cities have followed his model.
Now imagine his face all jacked up, swollen with a black eye and concussion.
Over the weekend, Tripp picked up a couple of fares at Harrah's Casino. He drove them to 30th and Montgall. There, he says, "They tried to kill me."
"I'm in the middle of the street and I put the cab in park," Tripp recalls. "They say how much, and I say $20.10, which was on the meter. I started to turn around and they hit me with something."
Not quite knocked out, he kept his head down until he heard the passenger door open. "About that time the driver's window broke and they were trying to come in the driver's side. I grabbed the gear shift and was lucky enough to pull it down. I hit the gas and got out of there."
Tripp's been robbed before. In fact, his harrowing story of life on the streets, of bad decisions, near death and redemption, and finally committing himself to helping those less fortunate is chronicled in Please Underestimate Me, his self-published autobiography.
"It's one thing when it's a robbery, another thing when they come inside the car -- they either want to kill you or hijack the car. I knew what they were trying to do," he says. "I saw that look in one's eyes. The cops told me how lucky I was."
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I want to thank The Pitch and CJ, you particularly, for your comments and coverage of this situation with Richard. I am both a Committee Member of COPP and and close personal friend of Richard's. When his daughter, Dawn, called to let me know that he had been assaulted and asked me to check on him, I was concerned and livid. Here is a man who lives well below poverty level (just a step above the streets where he was) so that he can devote himself and everything that he has to COPP, Inc. He is worried because this is a fiscally tough year with more homeless and poor and less money from kind and generous donors. This is an unselfish man. As I can personally attest and affirm, he is always the first one to be "on the scene" when anyone he knows needs assistance or help -- no matter the "cost" to him. It seemed so unfair that Richard was the chosen "victim" of these men. Detective Blakemore of the Kansas City Police Department has informed Richard that these men were not patrons of Harrah's. They used the casino as a platform for a crime. And what is Richard's concern? That he is able to circulate their photos to other cab drivers to prevent another occurance by these guys. Yet another consideration for the safety of others. Amazing.
Richard has mostly moved past this with the fading of his bruises, black eye and less swelling other than wanting to circulate photos, but I want to thank you again, CJ, for your assistance and coverage and you, Detective Blakemore, for your persistance in this matter. Please, please, if anyone has any information please contact Detective Blakemore or call the Tips Hotline at the Kansas City Police Department.
If anyone wishes to make a financial donation, or donation of food, etc. or volunteer, go to the website www.coppinc.com for information.
Richard, we Know you will rise again and miracles will happen out of this.
God's got your back my friend and the angels are with you always.
Imagine that, the KCMO cops tell a victim about luck instead of working with Harrah�s and catching the perps. Then again, with 20-something black kids at 30th and Montgall, odds are those suckas will be listed on Killa City before the cops would catch �em anyway.
Hang in there, Mr. Tripp and keep the faith. There will always be folks that wish you well in e-mails, but won�t actually do anything that matters�sort of like the folks that put those ribbon magnets on their car, or Plog about increasing volunteerism. But you, my friend, make a real difference. Keep it up.
It's such a blessing Richard is physically okay. I have volunteered with this organization before (over Thanksgiving) and can say that this organization does amazing things for people have little to no hope. I know times are difficult, if not a little tougher, for almost everyone, and sometimes we lose sight of how blessed we already are. Sometimes it takes watching a mother and all of her small children rummage around through people's old clothes, shoes, and blankets and seeing how it's like Christmas for them to realize how lucky some of us are. Sometimes I grumble that my husband and I have to share a car and live in a small apartment, but I quickly remind myself of how lucky we are to have a car that runs and a roof over our heads. It's disgusting that people can commit crimes against others, especially a remarkable person like Richard, and sleep at night.
Glad to know Richard is ok! Sad that we have to smile at people with a question mark on our minds.
We are so grateful that Richard, once again, survived a life threatening ordeal. God protects him so he can keep carrying on with his destiny to help the poor. We all love him and wish him a fast recovery.
Those guys don't know how many people are touched by Richard's hard work. I hope they wake up and turn around in their ways to make positive choices in their lives from no on. They need to stand up and make things right as they are the very people that receive help from C.O.P.P.
The community needs to come forth to help and to support Care of Poor People or the next event may be at risk of being canceled.
I am on the steering committee and know how much Richard puts into each event, not only financially, but physically and spiritually.
If anyone wishes to help out by donating financially to Care of Poor People or by volunteering, contact Richard through his website, www.coppinc.com
Please help out in any way you can.
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