Looking back, I've learned that everyone is searching for three things: Identity, community, and a sense of individual purpose. These are fundamental, and if a person feels marginalized or disenfranchised, they're likely to turn to something negative, maybe drugs, maybe promiscuity, or maybe a white supremacist group.

We've seen hate groups rise across the country. But we've also seen an increase in the average person, who looks like your doctor, your lawyer, your mechanic, your dentists, starting to say the same types of rhetoric. Sometimes it's a little bit more polished, something the average person who has underlying racism can attach himself to. I'm less concerned about skinheads and Klansmen now than the average person who feels emboldened, and the militia and sovereign-citizen groups who are certainly tied to white supremacist organizations, training in paramilitary camps.

I can't say I've seen any formalized white supremacy grow. I was a selfish leader and never trained anybody to train over my group. It scattered when I left.

There were a lot of people in our nationalist group who went on to become cops and firefighters and correctional officers. Unfortunately so. I haven't talked to them in 20 years, but just by keeping tabs on Facebook I know that there are some who've gone that way. And they've never indicated publicly that they've changed their opinions. It's a minority.

There are a lot of people being duped with misinformation, and they're all rejoicing over Donald Trump. And having a white nationalist be his chief strategist and have a racist be your attorney general, this is a really dangerous situation for our country.

Looking back, I've learned that everyone is searching for three things: Identity, community, and a sense of individual purpose. These are fundamental, and if a person feels marginalized or disenfranchised, they're likely to turn to something negative, maybe drugs, maybe promiscuity, or maybe a white supremacist group.

People are ready to be actors in making the world a better place.