Case Closed

The big news yesterday was MNPD’s release of an investigative report on the Covenant tragedy. The 48-page document dug into the shooter’s motives, arriving at a fairly simple explanation: She sought notoriety. If you’ve been reading The Pamphleteer, this revelation is not surprising. We’ve talked exhaustively about how “epidemics of crime follow the line of the telegraph," as French sociologist Gabriel Tarde wrote in the 19th century.

Still, reading through the document, I was struck by how Hale meticulously planned the attack for years as if she were rolling out a PR campaign for herself. She chose Covenant—where she by her own admission spent the happiest days of her life—instead of Creswell Middle—where she went after Covenant and her issues really took off—because Covenant was a private Christian school that would bring more notoriety.

Also involved in her calculus was the fact that Creswell had “a large portion of the student body [that] was black.” She worried about being branded a racist were she to carry out the atrocity there. Additionally, she believed that the Christian faith of those at Covenant would make them “meek and afraid,” and thus, unlikely to spoil her plan. She scrutinized every dimension of her scheme based on how the media would respond to it.

Notably, the report also concluded that Hale was sane. Shortly after the shooting, the Tennessee Star acquired an FBI memo sent to MNPD. In that memo, arguing against the release of Hale’s writings was an interesting point concerning the “motive”:

Ultimately, offenders commit these attacks for multiple, varied reasons, many of which the offenders themselves do not fully grasp or comprehend. Additionally, there will often be a tendency to dismiss the attacker as mentally ill, given the style and lack of coherence often seen in these writings. This will further permeate the false narrative that the majority of attackers are mentally ill.

This might be too charitable a reading here, but I interpret that to mean if we further perpetuate the notion that attackers are mentally ill (an ever-widening category) then the number of people who view shooting up a school as merely an expression of their mental illness increases. When we describe these incidents as resulting from mental illness, we're giving wiggle room out of accountability. 

Second Amendment advocates often say that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. Similarly, it isn’t mental illnesses that commit these atrocities—it’s people. They make these decisions themselves. Their disability does not compel them, and we should hold them fully accountable for their actions even unto death. Further indulging the idea that “mental illness” is the sole cause behind mass shootings implies the urge to shoot children is just another side effect of being mentally ill, which plays into the learned helplessness we have towards preventing them from occurring.

What should be self-evident by now is that the media environment, from producer to consumer, is the primary vector by which school shootings travel. It is due to the media’s coverage of Columbine—a giant influence on Hale, as with just about every other school shooter—and their elevation of the event into a seminal act, something historical, that losers like Hale see them as an opportunity to redeem their otherwise dysfunctional, unsuccessful lives.

We've made artists out of these people, puzzling over their motives, digging into their influences. They have Wikipedia pages, internet subcultures that accept and lionize them, movies made about them, reams of writing devoted to them, and innumerable little corners of culture that draw influence from and propagate their message. In short, we’ve validated them and given them form.

And with the help of national media coverage, we’ve contextualized each shooter in the pantheon of other school shooters around the globe, giving them a lineage, a tradition, to build upon. Because we talk about the "school shooting" as this canonized event, like it’s something as endemic to human existence as a thunderstorm, we ensure its reproduction. The best thing we can do is turn our gaze elsewhere, heaping attention on the victims of these tragedies and those directly affected by them, scorning the shadow of evil that dimmed the sun over Nashville that day. DAVIS HUNT

🦟 Pesky Pesticide Parley A pesticide bill that’s been briskly moving through the General Assembly may come back to bite legislators during campaign season. The legislation has attracted opposition on both sides of the aisle, given that it would protect pesticide manufacturers and sellers against certain lawsuits in Tennessee. Likewise, similar legislation has ruffled feathers across the country. Recently, several testimonies have left those defending the bill in Tennessee with little ground to stand on.

Dr. Alexandra Muñoz, a molecular toxicologist who specializes in understanding how toxins cause cancer at the cellular level, testified against the bill in front of the House Judiciary Committee yesterday. “First, I want to make clear that the labels on many pesticides do not reflect the published, peer-reviewed scientific data,” Muñoz told the legislators. “Glyphosate is a carcinogen that causes cancer, and there's substantial evidence to support that, not just one study. There are many studies, and I have sent you a report detailing these mechanisms. Bayer/Monsanto has consistently manipulated the system and knowingly submitted data to the EPA that doesn't reflect the actual health harms of their products.”

Muñoz also walked the committee through a worst-case scenario where a company intentionally structures its safety studies in a way that disguises the harm a chemical product can do. “Companies will feel confident putting this product on the market knowing that they can get away with this harm,” explained the toxicologist. “And if this company happens to be controlled by a foreign adversary, then it means that by allowing this bill, you would be sanctioning an act of bioterrorism.”

Yesterday’s committee meeting in the House was cut short due to the abundance of questions and testimonies lined up for the bill. Chair Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) set up meetings for next Tuesday and Wednesday to work through this bill and the remaining legislation on the committee's final calendar. Meanwhile, the Senate passed the legislation during its final vote today. It seems some were hoping to buy more time.

*An earlier version of this story stated that the bill was tabled in the Senate when it had, in fact, been passed.

💚 Nashville General Eating The Green On Tuesday, the council passed a resolution appropriating $10 million to the Hospital Authority. Over the years, Metro has had to significantly subsidize Nashville General Hospital to keep the doors open. During discussions at Monday’s Metro Finance Committee meeting, the Finance Department answered some questions about why the hospital needed the additional money. 

According to Finance Assistant Director Amanda Deaton, the funding is “necessary to continue the operations at their current level through June 30, 2025.” Deaton also explained that the money will be going toward a financial consulting firm helping the hospital to address issues found in the annual independent audit and an internal affairs investigation. Going forward, Metro may also have to make up for some state funding that could dry up, though Deaton said that the money may just be delayed, not canceled. 

👅 Undercover Taste Testers Over the next year, Nashville restaurants may have the opportunity to earn Michelin Stars. Tennessee will be featured in Michelin Guide’s first regional edition, which will showcase the American South in its 2025 guide. According to the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, anonymous inspectors are already scouting the region for culinary gems. 

“Tennessee’s food tells the story of who we are — rooted in rich traditions, creativity and locally grown ingredients that shape menus across the state,” said Tourist Development Commissioner Mark Ezell. “From barbecue and hot chicken to hands-on chef experiences, fine dining, farm-to-table dinners and fresh takes on Southern staples, our culinary scene offers something visitors won’t find anywhere else. We’re pleased to partner in recognizing the talent behind these experiences that help make Tennessee a premier destination for travelers. This Michelin brand stage is exciting for our cities and our restaurants all across the great state of Tennessee.”

DEVELOPMENT

• Kisser hopes for a hit encore in bakery concept Babychan (NBJ)
• East Nashville housing development proposal advances (Post)
• Veteran country artist manager sells Music Row property (Post)

✹ THE KIDS STILL PARTY

✹ SPRING EVENT: CHRISTY LEE ROGERS' THE MUSES

An elementary school field trip or two aside, many Nashvillians haven’t spent much time at The Parthenon. But there’s far more to the Music City landmark than the steps that make for the perfect resting place during a Sunday afternoon in Centennial Park. Since the second week of December, its central art gallery has been home to Christy Lee Rogers-The Muses–a celebration of the famed underwater photographer’s 2018 exhibition that marks the first show the Metro Nashville resident has had in her adopted hometown. 

Inspired by the nine muses of Greek mythology, Rogers has captured an awe-inspiring merger of light, costumes, and water that have much more in common with the iconography of the Renaissance masters than what one would expect from contemporary photography. Known for her collaborations with brands like Apple and Lavazza (as well as an entry in the show commissioned for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water), the Honolulu native taps into the vibrant character of the Greek myths without stripping them of their allure and underlying danger. 

Though the exhibit will remain front and center to visitors until June 1, The Parthenon has spent much of the year engaging with locals through its nine-part Muses Education Workshop Series, a collaboration with Nashville-based artists from various media who each spend an evening tying their craft to one of the famed goddesses (thanks to the Parthenon for the chance to devote last Friday night to film and its relationship to Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy). 

Those wanting a family friendly creative jolt can join Emily Everhart, Senior Producer of Nat Geo Kids’ Greeking Out for a podcast creation workshop in honor of Calliope, Muse of Eloquence and Epic Poetry on April 12th. The series will end in epic fashion on April 24th at Vanderbilt University’s Dyer Observatory when astronomer Dr. Erika Grundstrom will offer a crash course on myth and the stars. As the series has proven, Nashville has earned that Athens of the South title for a reason.

More information about the exhibit and workshops is available at The Parthenon’s website.

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🪕 The Burnett Sisters @ Station Inn, 9p, $20, Info

🎻 Lyle Lovett with the Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $32+, Info

🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info

🎸 Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

🎸 Open Mic @ Fox & Locke, 6:30p, Free, Info
+ vet community here

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

Music City Shakedown

🏛️ Last night at the Metro Council · Farmland easements · School for illegals? · Fed funds in TN · Much more!

The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer

Our Next Party

🍻 Bottoms up · LPRs in the wings · Reclaim your DNA · Bourbon, Neat · Week in streaming · Much more!

The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer

This Week in Streaming (April 1st)

Our recommendations to counteract the endless scrolling.

Jerod Ra’Del HollyfieldThe Pamphleteer

People all the way down

👥 People, people, people · Airport renaming · Federal dollars in city · LPRs are back · Repeat offender of the week · Much more!

The PamphleteerThe Pamphleteer