Nashville mayor calls for reopening unsolved Civil Rights-era bombings

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced plans to renew several unsolved Civil Rights-era bombing cases that happened in Music City.

Those plans were announced after the release of a Nashville author’s book captured Metro’s attention. “ Dynamite Nashville: Unmasking the FBI, the KKK, and the bombers beyond their control,” by Betsy Phillips follows her research as she tried to solve three bombing cold cases that took place during 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.

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The book detailed stories about members of the Ku Klux Klan that planted bombs in minority communities around the country to prevent integration efforts. Phillips told News 2 that research for the book began in 2017.

Phillips added that she encountered several hurdles along the way when communicating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). On top of that, she added that there was little in the way of historical records from Metro police.

“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.”

Metro government has stepped in.

“For 64 years, the question of who is responsible for three bombings has gone unresolved,” a statement from O’ Connell read, in part. “The book doesn’t have all the answers, but it can be the beginning of new discovery and a new conversation.”

In that same statement, O’Connell announced that he asked the Metro Nashville Police Department to assign an investigator from the cold case unit to lead investigations about these decades-old bombings.

Additionally, the Metro Law Department is to work with the Metro Public Records Commission on recommendations for improvements to records retention so that other important records are not lost.

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Phillips told News 3 that she was not expecting the renewed investigations of these unsolved bombings. She hopes that her book will lead to the truth and she aims to recognize voices that went unheard during that time.

“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 comment on the announcement of the renewed investigations and for further details on investigator assignment to the cases, but did not receive a response as of this publication.

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