EAST DALLAS LAWYER TO THE RESCUE

KERON WRIGHT OFFERS LEGAL HELP TO JUVENILES

The 14-year-old boy sat in the Kansas City holding cell. Its dank and sterile walls providing nothing to distract the young man from assuming the worst about his fate. He had stolen a car with his friends and was being charged with theft and truancy.

ATTORNEY KERON WRIGHT, now a Hollywood Heights resident, walked into the cell and introduced himself to the teenager, who provided a weak and unsure handshake. “Are you a real lawyer?” he asked. The boy doubted that a young black man like himself could also be his legal counsel. Wright worked for Husch Blackwell in Kansas City at the time and was assigned to take the case pro-bono.

Wright handed his client the charging documents. The teenager stared blankly at the document. “He can’t read it,” Wright thought to himself. “He doesn’t know what it says.”

Wright met with him every other week for a couple of months, helping him and other clients understand the proceedings and advocating on their behalf in court. “I want to give them a sense of freedom around speaking their mind, talking about themselves.”

In Ava DuVernay’s documentary “13th” about the growth of mass incarceration in the United States, viewers learn that one in three black men will end up in prison during their lifetime, compared to one in 17 white men. Statistics such as that motivate Wright to do what he can to help change things.

As a black lawyer, Wright is on the other side of this equation. He feels the burden of working to right what he feels are systematic injustices. He was one of just eight AfricanAmericans in his law school class of 147 at Washburn University. He clerked for a black

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female judge, who told him that when she graduated law school, she could find work only as a paralegal.

Over the years, Wright worked in numerous roles that allowed him to mentor young people who needed a hand up. Wright has been a CASA volunteer, representing the interests of foster children, and also a tutor. He remembers the shame of a high school kid who had a third-grade reading level. “I carry it with me,” he says. “I will never forget his face and that feeling of wanting to get away.”

Wright now works for Stewart Bradbury in Dallas, a woman-owned firm that prides itself on diversity. “We are busy, but part of our busyness is pro-bono,” he says. “That is acceptable around here.”

Wright hopes to impact youth before they end up in the courtroom as well. He partnered with his fraternity brother, who works for KIPP, a primarily black public charter school in Dallas, to establish an after-school program where students can learn about being a lawyer. “They can’t see themselves beyond these stereotypes and stigmas,” he says.

For Wright, the opportunity to find cases where he can represent juveniles in the criminal justice system is part of his mission as a black male professional.

“Whether I can do a good job as a lawyer, I am a confidant for whatever short period of time. I try to give them a sense that someone cares.”

$1,199,000

Nestled between huge pecan trees, this gracious, mid-century Lakewood Treehouse was the first of its kind in the neighborhood. This 2006 W2 design has 2712 sqft in the main house, plus an additional 432 sqft in the studio for a total of 3144 sqft of living area, showcasing the home on the hill! The courtyard features, steel catwalk connecting the two spaces. Along w custom wood counters, cabinets & built-ins, the kitchen has all Viking appliances including rare, full double range. The home includes red oak wood flooring, brand new carpet & surround sound. Casement windows throughout for ease of operation. Lovely neighborhood, great schools & ideal location near White Rock Lake, this home is truly an experience.

Click Back In Time

In the 1940s, downtown Lakewood was bursting with activity. Lakewood Theater entertained us, Doc Harrell’s drugstore served as the neighborhood’s home base, and the short-lived Lakewood Hotel across the street from the theater provided a neighborhood getaway. Further north on Abrams, Click’s Hamburgers waited for drive-up burger lovers. “Drive in Beer,” the sign beckoned. Otherwise, it didn’t look too different from a Sonic in 2018.

Today, the Click’s address, 2111 Abrams, doesn’t exist, but it was somewhere in the area of Veritex Bank, which replaced the greasy spoon of Dan’s Lakewood Diner some years ago. Dallas once had a robust and well-used streetcar system that reached into our neighborhood. Following World War II, cars began to take over. And businesses like Click’s helped usher in the transition to a car-centric culture. —WILL MADDOX

1940 S 2018

Stella To The Rescue

When the Turner family’s Doberman pinscher bit 2-year-old daughter, Zoe, in the face, she hesitated around dogs. It took a special animal to quell her fear, but the family’s new pet, Stella, soothed her soul. The dog is half Goldendoodle and half Aussiedoodle, a mix of golden retriever, poodle and Australian shepherd. Zoe is now 11. Her parents are Calvin and Minah. Stella loves riding to pick up the kids at carpool and playfully chasing the ducks and swans in the Turners’ backyard. Her signature move is howling on command, with her howls rising in frequency the more excited she gets. “She will howl four to five times when I come home,“ Calvin says. Follow her on Instagram at @stella_bella_the_goldendoodle.