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People can change: Shane O. Wright
Shane Wright’s shaved head, powerful build and covered up tattoos are all that visibly remain of the violent, anti-social drug addict and white supremacist whose life changed with a bang, literally.
While now living in Nevada, Wright said, “Back on April 11, 2002, I was living in Branson, traveling down 76 Highway when I crossed into the other lane and hit a tour bus.”
Four people were injured in the accident. On the bus, three received injuries with one being serious.
And Wright?
“I crushed the left side of my face, my left wrist and five ribs on my left side,” said Wright. “I also tore ligaments and tendons in both knees and did damage to several discs in my lower back.”
While those on the bus ended up with positive outcomes, Wright ended up in a hospital for two months, the first 14 days of which he was in a coma.”
And the cause of this crash?
“The immediate cause was I had a blood alcohol concentration of .358 plus I had been on meth for some time,” said Wright. “But that’s only part of the story.”
When he awoke, Wright was surprised to find himself in a hospital with his mother at his side; he had no memory of the accident.
“If I hadn’t woken up, what would my life have been?” asked Wright. “An honest obituary would have described an angry, hateful alcoholic and drug addict with a prison record whose life ended with an accident. When my mom told me what happened, that was the first time in my life I really felt remorse. That’s when I asked Jesus Christ into my heart and He changed my life for the better. ”
Does that mean Wright bypassed court and jail?
Wright laughed and said, “Some folks think conversion is just a scam, a way to get off or get a lighter sentence or make your probation officer happy. But if that’s why I did it, then it didn’t work for me.”
The former addict and white supremacist was charged with vehicular assault and given a 15-year sentence. Wright was in prison for six years followed by nine years on probation. The maximum date his probation could end is in 2020.
“When I think about the harm I did that day plus all I’ve done over the years, really, I got off light.”
Growing up, Wright’s father was often away driving a truck or working construction. His mother was previously married and brought to her second marriage a son. He is seven years older than Wright and the two often fought.
“I was molested by him when I was 10,” said Wright. “Shortly afterwards, he went to jail for breaking and entering and I felt I had to prove something, not only to other people but to myself.”
Years later, as part of his working the 12-steps towards healing, he tracked down and told his brother he forgave him for what he had done to him. The brother said he did not remember the incident.
“That’s OK, forgiveness is not for him; it’s for me,” said Wright. “That’s also something I had to learn: I have a hard enough time controlling my words and deeds, I cannot control other people. And learning that has been both healing and freeing and part of how I’ve been blessed.”
Already, at age 8 or 9, Wright started drinking alcohol with marijuana use following shortly thereafter. Later he moved to methamphetamines and other drugs.
“Violence was my other coping skill,” said Wright. “I didn’t want to talk so I covered my body with antisocial tattoos.”
They included swastikas, lightning bolts and other symbols and words. Most folks seeing them would stay away but a few would challenge him.
“It turned my personal mess into a message, to people I’ll never talk to,” said Wright.
Part of that message was supplied as Wright, at age 14 in Idaho, largely replaced his biological family with a gang he called his “external family.”
The group supplied him with alcohol, drugs and a message of hate in the form of white supremacy.
Wright quoted Proverbs 3:5-6 (“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.”) and said he is thankful to have put the hatred behind him and learned to like himself.
“My way first got me locked up for assaults, and then in California, when I was 16, I got two years for strong arm robbery, most of which I spent in solitary because I was fighting all the time,” said Wright.
His attempt to join the Marine Corps was blocked by the felony conviction. He turned to bull riding but gave it up to do methamphetamines.
“Then my parole officer called me up and said, ‘If you leave California and never come back, I’ll discharge you off parole,’” said Wright.
So in 1998, he went to Seattle and got a job working for a moving company which did not drug test.
Six months into the job he dropped a freezer on his ankle and was off for two months. During that time, white supremacist friends sought to recruit him to go to Missouri and start a job and spread hatred. Once in Branson, Wright found out the job had been filled, so he started work in a restaurant and began dealing drugs until his life changed with a bang.
Wright said his probation could end as early as this August.
Wright has been working with the Celebrate Recovery program at First Baptist and as a manager at the local homeless shelter. He is looking forward to being a part of the leadership team of a Celebrate Recovery program at Pine Street Baptist Church, when it begins, later this year.
In Celebrate Recovery, only one-in-three participants are there due to drug or alcohol problems. The program describes itself as for those with “hurts, hang-ups and habits of all kinds.” The program at First Baptist may be reached at 667-6036.
Said Wright, “The Lord offered me a second chance I didn’t deserve and I’ve dedicated my life to bringing that to others.”