Racism/White Supremacy

The primary theme of Stallworth’s memoir is racism, specifically white supremacy. However, the Klansmen he is investigating are not the only racists Stallworth describes interacting with during the investigation. The first racist encounters Stallworth describes all involve members of the Colorado Springs Police Department. Stallworth describes experiencing racism during his interview to be a cadet with the CSPD, while getting his cadet uniform issued to him, while conversing with his colleagues, and while trying to explain the premise of his investigation to his fellow detectives. While not as egregious as the blatant white supremacist views held by the Klansman Stallworth investigates, these instances of racism are critical to Stallworth’s recounting of his investigation and career as a police officer.

Stallworth accurately describes the racist behaviors of the white supremacist groups he investigated without becoming emotionally responsive to their racist behaviors. While interacting with the...