Anybody remember that the Summer Olympic Games were held in Atlanta in 1996? It was pretty exciting to have the games held here. The city was in preparation for years and it was in great hopes that all would go smoothly. This did not happen because there was a horrific bombing. On July 27, 1996 in Centennial Olympic Park, Richard Jewell, a security guard, noticed a bag underneath a park bench and was able to alert authorities and get many people moved away. However, the bag contained a pipe bomb which exploded and two people died and 111 were injured. Now, at first Richard Jewell was hailed as a hero, but this only lasted a few short days and then, it was reported that he was being treated as a suspect. The news coverage was relentless, making much of the fact that he was an earnest, quiet young man who lived modestly with his mother. I found a video of him talking of what he went through and you may see it here...
I have read other bloggers who have written very movingly about Postman's Park in London which honors Unsung Heroes, people who sacrificed themselves in order to save others. I could not help but think of Richard Jewell when I read about this park.
He was investigated by the FBI and although he was completely cleared of anything related to the bombing , all of this media attention and speculation was certainly a strain upon him and his health suffered terribly. He died in August of 2007 at the age of 44.
Above is his obituary from The New York Times in which he is hailed as a hero. And yet he was and still is a true unsung hero. I know because I did meet him and I witnessed this. His own lawyer said that many times people would come up to him and ask, "Come on, didn't he really have something to do with the bombing". I am grateful that I got to shake his hand and to say "sorry" for all that he had gone through.
Oh no... this is so tragic. I remember something of this, but forgot about the injustice that poor man suffered through.
ReplyDeleteDear Kay,
DeleteTo this day, you will still see his name with these words "Suspected bomb suspect". So unfair, that is why I made sure to put that NY Times obituary link there, they called him a hero.
This is terribly sad and just shows how dangerous the media can be. They are often so desperate for a sensational story, that they don't bother to establish facts. In part they are responsible for his early death. He was a true hero, his quick thinking undoubtedly saved many more people from injury and death.
ReplyDeleteDear Tracey,
DeleteThere were so many people in the park that night, including my sister and my brother-in-law, they felt the impact of the blast from some distance away. You can be sure that anyone in the park that night was glad Richard Jewell spotted that bag and reported it.
How tragic. The fate of whistleblowers and people who raise the alert is often so unfair.
ReplyDeleteDear Jenny Woolf,
DeleteFor his brave act, he was hounded by the media.
Very unfair and I think Richard Jewell should be honored by somethng in the park today, but I can tell you that there is a great embarassment about his treatment. No one wants to know or think about him.
Sad. And it's so sad when an event that is designed to bring the world together is used as an excuse for mindless terrorism. I'm praying no such problems mar the 2012 event.
ReplyDeleteScriptor,
DeleteMe and you both.
I read that billions have been spent on security in London. Good, I say, whatever it takes. I couldn't help but think of a comment in the paper, after the head of the IOC, called the Atlanta Olympic Games "exceptional" rather than "The BEST EVER", which he what he usually said after the Olympics and many people in Atlanta were upset by this. What was this comment? It was this: "At the BEST EVER Olympics, no one would die."
He deserved so much more. That's all there is to it.
ReplyDeleteI agree and even today there was an article in the Sunday newspaper about the Atlanta Olympics and not a word about Richard Jewell. Not one single word.
Deletei did not know he had died.
ReplyDeletei remember this well: an ordinary man against a tank of media.
kay, that you take the time to honor this man says a lot about you.
♥
kj
Thanks for your comment, kj.
DeleteI so much wanted to get this post right. I left out a lot of what I wanted to say. Sometimes when I feel strongly about something it is hard for me to write about it.
What an awful ordeal for this man and his family to have endured. Disgraceful.
ReplyDeleteOh, and they took his mother's Tupperware! I asked people if they remember this, and no one else does, but I remember that so well. I also have Tupperware from about 26 years ago so I know how mad I would be if the FBI came into my kitchen!
DeleteKay- I can't imagine what that poor man went through...and then died so young. He certainly was a hero.
ReplyDeleteI love your header, Kay, it is just beautiful-xo Diana
He died at a young age and I am so sorry for him and his family when he should have been hailed as a hero.
DeleteAnd my header photo was taken in England, it is the wedding anniversary bouquet from Richard's parents. Those roses in England, no wonder people make over them so!
What a horrible time this man went through. It shows the damage that frenzied law enforcement and media can cause; how lives can be destroyed. It's nice that you took the time to honour him, Kay. May he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Martha. I wish that we could learn from mistakes like this. I hope that we can.
DeleteSuch a sad story. I too did not know he had died at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteThe bad thing about slander (which is what the false accusations were) is that mud sticks -- innocent or not. And as you say, his name will be forever linked with "suspected bomber Richard Jewell..."
Let's just pray that the London Olympics are and stay safe. Especially after the appalling debacles in Aurora, CO. and this weekend in Wisconsin. Sometimes I despair of my fellow beings.
Oh, I know exactly what you mean. It hurts my heart so terribly to think of these shootings and murders (because that is really what they are.)
DeleteSecurity might seem expensive for the Olympics but you can't put a price on human lives.
Thanks for sharing Richard's sad and mostly forgotten story Kay.
ReplyDeleteI recently watched a documentary on Terry Fox--the Canadian who tried to run across Canada in the 1980s on one leg to raise money for cancer. I was shocked at how brutal the media was on him. I am sure the stress they poured contributed to early death.
And thanks for telling me about Terry Fox. I just looked him up and read about him and found his story inspiring but so sad.
DeleteI did not realize that Jewell had died at such a young age. so sad! I hate how the media in the USA is allowed to put people on trial through the news, televised and print. Now they can do it also through the social media.
ReplyDeleteAn aside from your comment on my photo of forget-me-nots. Yours seem bigger than my blossoms. I see nothing awry at your keeping them at the bottom forever. :)
You know, you're right, with the social media, gossip can begin even quicker...
DeleteThose forget-me-nots are beautiful, but I really did get very close to them! In fact, I didn't even know that most of them have that yellow bit in the middle!
I'm not sure how I missed this post. I never knew all the details about his story and life and I had no idea that he died. How sad. He truly was a hero.....and I wish he'd had all the glory of being a hero....that he deserved. How many people might have died if he hadn't alerted authorities to the bag???
ReplyDeleteDear Audrey,
DeleteIt just seems a shame the way he was treated and even today people just kind of want to forget about him and the way he was treated.
Yes, I remember all that very well. So sad about Richard Jewel too. I was in Atlanta about a month before the Olympics and my friend gave me a tour...including the Olympic Flame tower in your second photo.
ReplyDeleteDear Sara,
DeleteThanks for your comment. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Flame is still in the same spot, it is in the furthest spot on the parking lot for the Atlanta Braves stadium, Turner Field.
You are so right, Kay. The media, and all of us along with them, are so quick to jump to judgement, then find it difficult to let go of these judgements even after they are proven wrong. It is indeed a failing of the human species. - Karen
ReplyDeleteTo me, once we know we are wrong, we should try to correct it and at least say "sorry" to the wronged person. When I met Richard Jewell, you would be surprised at the people who kept him at arm's length, as if he had a disease or something. It was sad to witness.
Delete