Authorities at the site of the Hattie Cotton School (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Archives)
July 16, 2024 Story by: Editor
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell has announced plans to reopen several unsolved Civil Rights-era bombing cases that occurred in Music City.
This decision follows the release of a book by a Nashville author, which caught the attention of Metro officials. Betsy Phillips’ book, “Dynamite Nashville: Unmasking the FBI, the KKK, and the bombers beyond their control,” chronicles her research into three bombing cold cases from the Civil Rights era.
“The Hattie Cotton school bombing, the Jewish Community School bombing, and the bombing of council member Z. Alexander Looby’s house,” Phillips explained.
Phillips’ book recounts how members of the Ku Klux Klan planted bombs in minority communities nationwide to thwart integration efforts. She began her research for the book in 2017.
Phillips encountered numerous obstacles, particularly in communicating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She noted a lack of historical records from Metro police as well. “It took a long, long time, partially because the FBI was not forthcoming about the files that they had or didn’t have, and I had to get Congressman Jim Cooper to force them to give me the file on the Looby bombing,” said Phillips. “Every police file from before 1963 is gone. Every. One. Not just to the Looby file — every single unsolved murder. I don’t know why.”
The Metro government has now intervened.
“For 64 years, the question of who is responsible for three bombings has gone unresolved,” stated O’Connell. “The book doesn’t have all the answers, but it can be the beginning of new discovery and a new conversation.”
O’Connell announced that he has asked the Metro Nashville Police Department to assign an investigator from the cold case unit to lead the investigations into these decades-old bombings. Additionally, the Metro Law Department is to work with the Metro Public Records Commission to improve records retention to prevent the loss of other important records.
Phillips expressed her surprise at the renewed investigations, hoping her book will uncover the truth and recognize the unheard voices from that era. “It is beyond my wildest dreams. […] I had no idea it would lead to a reopening of the cases and just the difference between what the police can do now versus what the police could do then,” said Phillips. “This [the bombings] was meant to end the progress of Black Nashville and it didn’t. They failed.”
News 2 reached out to Metro Police for a comment on the renewed investigations and details on the investigator assignment, but did not receive a response as of this publication. Source: WKRN
