On Friday, Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced that the Metro Nashville Police Department has appointed cold-case homicide detective Mike Roland to look into the integration-era bombings of Hattie Cotton Elementary School, the Jewish Community Center and civil rights leader Z. Alexander Looby's home.

When asked by this reporter if Metro police would be open to assigning a somewhat annoying but ultimately charming civilian consultant to partner with Det. Roland — like some kind of quirky USA Network procedural from our youths — Mayor O’Connell did not respond. This reporter would like to state, for the record, that she could fake being psychic if called on by her city.

This reporter (who happens to be the Betsy Phillips mentioned by the mayor in his remarks below) is delighted by the progress being made to bring clarity to these historic events that shaped our city. “I’m hoping for answers," says Phillips (me), "but more than that, I’m hoping we will hear from witnesses who weren’t taken seriously at the time and we can express our gratitude for their efforts.” 

The mayor’s full statement is below:

“Metro Police have appointed longtime homicide detective Mike Roland to lead the new look into the bombings of Z. Alexander Looby’s home, the Hattie Cotton school, and the Jewish Community Center from 1958 to 1960. Each was chronicled in Betsy Phillips' new book Dynamite Nashville. Key questions remain in our collective memories of these events. In addition to a Cold Case review, because information relating to these cases has been lost to us due to the destruction of records over time, I've asked the Metro Department of Law to work with the Metro Public Records Commission on recommendations for improvements in records retention so important records are not lost to future generations.”

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