Atlanta Olympic Bombing - 1996 by Nicholaus Cheeran

Atlanta Centennial Park Olympic Bombing

hasan4079 — 2024-05-09 14:39:18 UTC

By, Matthew, Nick, Mateen

Background: Historical Context

hasan4079 — 2024-05-10 13:44:42 UTC

In July 1996, Atlanta hosted the Summer Olympics. In the early hours of July 27, Eric Rudolph placed a pipe bomb underneath a bench in Centennial Park. After a brief evacuation, the bomb exploded at 1:20 am, killing one person. The president of the time was Bill Clinton.

The Bomber

goolish2315 — 2024-05-14 14:26:17 UTC

The bomber was Eric Rudolph who called 911 twice before detonating bomb. The FBI placed Rudolph on the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on May 5, 1998. Over the next two years, Rudolph placed two more bombs in Georgia in Alabama. Rudolph managed to elude law enforcement officials for years while hiding out in the mountains in western North Carolina before being captured in 2003. The motive behind Eric Rudolph’s attacks in multiple areas was: an opposition to "the ideals of global socialism" which he claimed were condoned by the United States government.

Fall of The Berlin Wall (Historical Synthesis)

cheeran1280 — 2024-05-14 14:35:02 UTC

Socialism is similar to communism and the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Just like Eric Rudolph retaliated against the American government, many other citizens of Berlin retaliated against the Soviets by escaping the communist zone. The people of Berlin would try to climb the barbed wall, chip at it, and even jump from windows to escape the Soviets.

Future event that symbolizes the Centennial Park Bombing

goolish2315 — 2024-05-14 14:42:09 UTC

9/11 symbolizes the terrorism that Eric Rudolph showed when dropping the bomb. While both events are tragic instances of terrorism, they are separate incidents with different perpetrators and motivations. Rudolph's actions were motivated by his extremist beliefs, while the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by a different terrorist organization with its own agenda.

Primary Source: Bill Clinton Addressing the Bombing

goolish2315 — 2024-05-15 14:17:47 UTC

President Bill Clinton denounced the explosion as an "evil act of terror" and vowed to do everything possible to track down and punish those responsible. He commended the security and police for handling the situation well. Finally, he explained that the games should continue as planned.

Primary Source: 911 Call Transcript

goolish2315 — 2024-05-15 14:20:33 UTC

30 minutes before the bomb blew up, the bomber called 911 twice to warn them about the bomb already placed in Centennial Park. The reason there weren't nearly as much casualties as there should've been is because of Richard Jewell.

Atlanta's Transformation After The Olympics

cheeran1280 — 2024-05-15 14:43:01 UTC

The Olympics is responsible for a huge population increase, from 3.5 million to nearly 5.5 million in the metro area today. It also allowed for the creation of world class facilities, national and international recognition of city and state through media exposure, and community benefits including local volunteerism, job creation, etc.

Economic impact: The massive population increase had a major downside: increased traffic, a declining housing market, bank failures, and one of the highest unemployment rates nationally. Out of about 12,000 houses in the neighborhood, half are vacant.

Spanish White Terror (Historical Synthesis)

hasan4079 — 2024-05-15 14:48:36 UTC

The Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939 was a conflict between the Nazi supported nationalists and the USSR supported republicans. Many suspected republicans were rounded up by nationalist mobs and killed off. This is similar to Rudolph’s bombing, as both events were motivated by hate for communism and its supporters.

Increased Olympic Security

hasan4079 — 2024-05-15 14:57:53 UTC

Before the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, security measures at the Olympics were relatively light. There was very little coordination between local security and the Olympic Committee.

Political Impacts: After the tragedy at the Atlanta games, changes were made to the security command structure. Coordination and communication between local law enforcement and the organizing committee was emphasized. Additionally, stricter background checks are taken on the employees and volunteers working at the games.

Richard Jewell and the Media

cheeran1280 — 2024-05-15 14:57:59 UTC

Richard Jewell worked as a security guard at Centennial Olympic park in Atlanta. After finding a suspicious package and reporting it, it was determined that the package had an actual bomb. Immediately after the bomb exploded, Jewell was hailed the hero for finding the bomb in the first place. However, news of Jewell being suspected of being the bomber by the FBI was front page news across the world. His life, as well as that of his mother, became a living nightmare as the media non-stop intruded on their personal life.

Social impact: Lives were changed when the report that Jewell was a suspect in the bombing was released. The harm inflicted upon Jewell and his mother is a reminder for future journalism: articles should never be influenced by speed or prestige.

Richard Jewell and the FBI

2024-05-15 21:32:52 UTC

After discovering the bomb underneath a bench, Jewell began to evacuate the park. After the bombing, the FBI began to viciously suspect Jewell as the bomber.

Political Impact: As people became angry and desperate for justice, the FBI decided to suspect Jewell instead of undergoing a thorough investigation. Dozens of FBI agents were assigned to Jewell, watching his every move. The FBI combed through the entire apartment after boxed up everything, even Tupperware and movie tapes. The FBI also attempted to frame Richard by tricking him to say “There is a bomb in Centennial Park, you have 30 minutes”. Eventually his name was cleared after Eric Rudolph confessed and was found guilty. The mishandling of the situation led to the Justice Department publicly admitting fault for their actions.

Displacement of Homeless People

hasan4079 — 2024-05-16 14:57:50 UTC

Before the Atlanta Olympic Games, many homeless people lived in the area. The City of Atlanta wanted to look clean and civilized to the rest of the world.

Social Impact: In order to “clean up” the city, many homeless residents were forcibly moved from halfway homes and government facilities. After the games ended, many of these people couldn’t return back and had to live on the dangerous streets in poverty.

Monument for Richard Jewell

goolish2315 — 2024-05-16 14:57:50 UTC

A new monument in Centennial Olympic Park recognizes first responders who came to the aid of people caught in the 1996 Olympic bombing in Downtown Atlanta. It's dedicated to Richard Jewell, the late security guard scrutinized as a bombing suspect before he was cleared of suspicion during the FBI's investigation

Social Impact:
They created this monument for him because he was the only one who stepped up and saved multiple people from being killed. So then the people created this because it changed their minds on how he was not the one who planted the bomb. As the people changed their perspective on him they made the monument for what he did.

The Hunt for Eric Rudolph

hasan4079 — 2024-05-17 02:29:24 UTC

After setting off 4 more bombs after Atlanta, Eric Rudolph went into hiding in the mountains of western North Carolina. What followed was a costly manhunt.

Economic Impact: The federal government spent millions of dollars on the search for Rudolph. Eventually he was found dumpster diving at a convenience store by a local police officer.

Sources

hasan4079 — 2024-05-17 02:34:29 UTC

https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/eric-rudolph

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB1tqzLAVA8

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/27/olympic-park-bombings-atlanta-1996-richard-jewell

https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/olympic-park

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Rudolph#:~:text=His%20stated%20motive%20was%20an,he%20was%20caught%20in%202003

https://www.npr.org/2011/08/04/138926167/the-economic-legacy-of-atlantas-olympic-games#:~:text=Economic%20Transformation,and%20a%20declining%20housing%20market

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3GsYxT0568

https://www.risetopeace.org/2021/06/28/the-1996-atlanta-olympic-park-bombing-and-its-influence-on-the-2021-olympic-games/sydney-neuman/

https://themonticellonews.com/the-media-and-richard-jewell-p16043-120.htm

https://flyernews.com/ae/a-critical-take-on-richard-jewell-a-lesson-for-journalists/12/17/2019/

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/13/movies/richard-jewell-bombing-atlanta.html

https://www.blueridgeoutdoors.com/features/the-hunt-for-eric-rudolph/#:~:text=Over%20the%20next%20eighteen%20months,throughout%20the%20mountains%20and%20beyond.