Spike Lee’s history lesson represents the worst of exploitative falsifications. There was NO student girlfriend. No CC Black Student Union contact. There was NO BOMB whatsoever. And Detective Ron Stallworth’s white partner was NOT Jewish. And guess what: His phone calls with David Duke are uncorroborated. So that leaves what truth exactly?
Stallworth’s pretend surrogate made at most 2-3 undercover contacts with clan members, tops. I’m guessing because many local cops were in the Klan. And if his partner was indeed asked to lead the chapter, it was likely BECAUSE he was a fellow cop.
The film pretends that the Colorado Springs police were against racists, and harbored only one bad apple. Fat chance. Conveniently for Stallworth’s narrative, the CSPD chief shut down the investigation and ordered all evidence destroyed.
Stallworth did receive a Klan membership card in the mail.
Stallworth WAS on the security detail for the David Duke visit. Stallworth says the snapshot scene happened, but he LOST the Polaroid!
Actually, most of Stallworth’s own claims cannot be verified.
Two NORAD clansmen WERE identified, but merely transferred to Alaska.
Meanwhile, as a black plainclothes detective in Colorado Springs, Stallworth went undercover in groups PROTESTING the clan. Of course. Ron Stallworth spent his career infiltrating black communities and gangs, in Colorado and Utah.
In my experience as an activist, the cops often use black undercovers because victims can’t out them without being seen as racist.
I can also attest to the racism in today’s CSPD. The Klan’s most recent incarnation, known as THE MINUTEMEN, only a few years ago, did their recruiting from A CSPD POLICE SUBSTATION. The Minutemen want enthousiasts who can patrol the southern border to shoot Mexicans. Only whites with gun permits need apply. So-said the sergeant making the pitch.
Basically Spike Lee glamorized cops without regard to violating the public right of assembly. Lee broadly chose to blame Trump for a resurgence of racist violence, without pondering the question his own film raises about police infiltration and police instigation of violence. I’d say Spike Lee made a BLUE LIVES MATTER joint, at the expense of Black lives, rights, and liberation.
Just before I came up here (and “up here” is a quantum leap (I know I’m misusing the math here.. poetic license automatically engaged) in the level of Here and Texas vis-a-vis Civilized Behaviour )) the Bossier City/Shreveport put 8 bullets in the back of Marquis Hudspeth who was acknowledged to be unarmed minutes before they started firing, they also popped 22 slugs into the general area and exactly none in Mr Hudspeth’s front… in the ensuing week the Klan as in Duke … kept banging on about how those poor (all of northern european stock) policemen were being demonized and even though the Shreveport Parish Attorney’s office was ‘investigating’ the event… (MURDER) Duke made with the boo-hoo for these picked-upon PIGS who were never prosecuted and were heinously suspended WITH FULL PAY AND BENEFITS for two days… and sponsored a benefit bar-b-cue to help these Godly Sons Of The Confederacy pay their massive(ly overhyped) hardship and (non-existent) lost wages. And There Was Duke, on camera and broadcast around the world, saying that the Klan was and is an Auxiliary Police agency. Seriously. The PIGS surrounding him just kept their mouths shut except for shoveling the free barbecue into their snouts.. Terry Maketa and his Deputy and successor Elder, did they protest that and many other PIG VIOLENCE episodes? Well, I’m patiently waiting the massive Mea Culpa festival where the PIGS will not merely confess their murders but actually pay reparations. I’m sure it’s going to be really soon.