Julie Broome
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12-6-99

Chapter 22 Rich Exercises


6.  Press Conferences

Former Olympic Park security guard Richard Jewell conducted a press conference
earlier today to tell his side of the 88 days he spent as a suspect in the July bombing in Atlanta.  Three days after the bombing, Jewell, who had been praised as a hero in the aftermath, was identified as the prime suspect in the bombing by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  	
	Jewell began by thanking friends, family, and his legal team for their support.  He then recapped what he had gone through in the time since he was first accused of being a suspect in the bombing, which killed one person and injured others.
	"I...lived every waking minute of those 88 days afraid that I would be arrested and charged with a horrible crime- a crime I did not commit," he said.
	He was first identified as a suspect when his name was leaked to the press by law enforcement officials, although the leak was never traced. Jewell spent the majority of his time discussing what he felt the media and the FBI had done to ruin his life and his reputation.  
	"While the government can tell you that I am an innocent man, the government's letter cannot give me back my good name or reputation," he stated.
	"In its rush to show the world how quickly it could get its man, the FBI trampled on my rights as a citizen.  In its rush for the headline that the hero was the bomber, the media cared nothing for my feelings as a human being."
	Between August and October, the FBI continued to investigate Jewell, searching his apartment and taking fingerprint and hair samples.  The media continued to speculate about Jewell's mental state.
	Jewell took time to explain what exactly happened the day of the bombing, and talked about how his training as a law enforcement officer is what helped him know what to do when he spotted the unattended package that turned out to be a bomb.
	"All I did was my job...The media started calling me a hero.  I did not consider myself a hero...I did not seek any publicity for doing my job."
	Jewell also stated several things that the media or FBI had said about him and denied all accusations of fitting the profile of a lone bomber, bring a frustrated police wanna-be, or being an overzealous officer.  He cautions the authorities to be more careful in the future to prevent anyone else from going through the same ordeal.
	He scolds the media for being untruthful and hopes they will keep in mind citizen's rights.
	Jewell ended the conference by stating his tentative plans to re-join law enforcement and by thanking God.
	"After 88 days of hell, it is hard to believe that it is really over...I thank God that it is now ended, and that you know what I have known all along.  I am an innocent man."