Ron Stallworth

Racism is a part of human nature, and you're not going to eradicate it; all you can do is try to keep it in check.

you human-nature nature racism

That was part of David Duke's agenda, is to turn the Klan from a racist organization in the eyes of the public into something that is respectable and acceptable.

turn eyes something organization

I phoned the KKK Grand Wizard David Duke in Louisiana and asked why my membership was being delayed. He said my application was on his desk and promised to deal with it personally. It was the first of many conversations with David Duke. We talked about his family, the weather, and about his political ambitions.

family political said weather

The Ku Klux Klan has never died in America.

klan never died america

The Klan was one of the most violent terrorist groups that has ever existed in the United States.

klan ever united united-states

My job as an intelligence officer, detective, was to monitor any subversive activity which could negatively impact the city of Colorado Springs. And, let's face it: the Ku Klux Klan, historically, is a subversive group.

face city job intelligence

You cannot sit quiet while the KKK and other white supremacist groups rear their ugly heads.

you ugly white quiet

That was one thing that we learned, that the Klan was making an active recruitment pitch to the armed forces - not just in Colorado Springs, but in other parts of the country as well. With trained military personnel who share that ideology, you know you have a valuable soldier at your disposal.

know you soldier country

The black community has always complained about abuse from cops. It's nothing new. But now, more people are seeing visual examples of what they've been complaining about. That's one thing that has changed over time.

black community time people

I laugh all the time about our investigation, especially about making a fool of David Duke, who likes to think I don't have the intelligence of an ape because he thinks I'm genetically inferior.

laugh intelligence fool time

When I became a cadet, I immediately decided I wanted to be an undercover cop because I don't like uniforms.

because like uniforms cop

Personally, I never had any negative encounters with the law growing up.

never growing-up law negative

I joined the police force with one motivation in mind: to become a high school PE teacher. After a year of working, I realized that a) I was making twice as much money as I would in the teaching profession, and b) I was having too much fun. I stuck it out for 32 years and no regrets.

money mind teacher school

My mother never liked that I worked undercover. She always worried.

she never always mother

I felt that if the public found out that a black man made a fool of David Duke, his attempts at a political career would have fallen by wayside.

man fool black political

When he was not talking about race, David Duke was a very pleasant guy to talk to. He was a very nice conversationalist. He seemed like a regular guy on the phone when the subject wasn't on race and on Jews and ethnicity.

phone not-talking nice talking

In many respects, David Duke was the playbook. He established the playbook by which Donald Trump ran and ultimately became - I won't even use the term - let's just say he became the occupant of the White House.

donald-trump say white house

John David captured the 25-year-old essence of me very well. I'm proud to call him a Stallworth brother.

well me proud brother

It's the whole white-supremacist movement, no matter what they call themselves - be it Klan, Nazis, alt-right, skinheads - the basic ideology is the same. They consider themselves superior to others because of their white skin, and we should not sleep on that.

skin matter white sleep

How I conned the Grand Wizard, David Duke, and his coterie of followers... It has defined me in ways I never could have imagined.

how never me followers