Black Klansman

Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigations of a Lifetime by Ron Stallworth              Audio Book:  5 hours 50 minutes                       

Hard-hitting memoir of Colorado Springs, Colorado Police Officer, Ron Stallworth, the first black officer hired by that City’s Police Department and later, the first Black Detective on the Colorado Springs Police Force.     After making Detective, Ron Stallworth saw an ad in the local paper asking people to contact a P.O. Box in order to join the Ku Klux Klan, Detective Stallworth, wanting to stay on top of what could be a threat in their community he contacted the P.O. Box.    Seems the KKK was recruiting and they sent him an application to join, a couple of copies of their organization’s newspaper and some other material.      Long story short. Ron Stallworth completed the application and along with another undercover caucasion officer to pretend to be Ron when physically meeting with the  organizers after a few months Ron became a card carrying black member of the KKK.    Not only that but Ron personally spoke on the phone to the head of the local Chapter setting up in Colorado Springs with members at the Fort Collins military base and even he found out later two high ranking military personnel working at NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command – a joint military command with the US and Canada that defends the airspace of North America)!      Ron actually used his real name to sign up which is a big NO NO but he used an address and phone number that was untraceable and that the police force used in their undercover investigations.     Word spread among the police officers, FBI and others that a Black Police Officer had infiltrated the Klan and any time Ron was at one of the cop bars or other recreational gathering places for officers, someone would always ask to see his Klan membership card.    Ron was amazed how word had spread so fast and so far.    Different agencies  got involved and since he had become so well established with the group, he had even gotten on a friendly basis calling the then, Grand Wizard of the KKK himself, David Duke and chatting about what was planned for different areas around the country.     Ron got a kick out of the major coup he and his counterpart were pulling off.    At one point David Duke came to Colorado Springs to meet with the new card carrying recruits at a Bonanza Steak House and Officer Ron Stallworth was assigned the duty of working David Duke’s security (body guard) as there had been death threats made if Duke was allowed in town.   Ron Stallworth fought hard with his superiors to NOT have to really do that assignment, but, his superior officer made him do it.   Ron introduced himself to Duke and addressed the facts – I don’t want to be here, I don’t agree with your organization and that he was only there because no one else was available and he had to.     He assured Duke that as an officer of the CSPD he would do his utmost to protect Duke because that was his job.    Later Ron asked Duke if he would take a photo with him because no one would believe he was really there otherwise.   Duke agreed and before the photo was snapped Ron Stallworth put his arm around Duke which angered Duke so much that he tried to get the Polaroid camera to destroy  it but Stallworth got it before Duke did and told Duke he would charge him with assaulting an officer if he continued.   More happens and this is a fascinating look at a very tense racially charged situation in history.    I highly recommend this book.    Spike Lee did the film based on the book which I plan to see as well.