Pray For Eric
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Domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph, convicted of bombing the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, abortion clinic attacks, and gay nightclubs, also had ties to the racist, anti-government, "Christian Identity" movement rooted in mountainous, Western North Carolina. Around the same time, militia leader Steve Anderson was also found holed up in the Appalachian area of Cherokee County, NC -three years after shooting a Kentucky deputy. This provocative 30-minute documentary highlights African-American filmmaker and recent yankee-transplant Ken Wyatt's quest to understand why a section of his new home state of North Carolina seems to be so "reactionary-extremist-friendly."
Popular belief is that Rudolph had assistance from local sympathizers for almost seven years. In fact, some locals expressed verbal support for him in local media and even sold T-shirts reading, "Run Rudolph Run." Considering that while in hiding in Western NC, Rudolph allegedly prayed for an apocalyptic race war.
Pray for Eric explores the question -- Do some Western North Carolinians still consider Rudolph to be a "folk hero/God's warrior" or has the media undeservedly given them a "bad rap?" What obstacles does Wyatt confront in his pursuit to find out the truth about his new neighbors? Is Western North Carolina really a safe haven for reactionary extremists with like-thinking locals, or is it truly as warm and serene as the landscapes shown in their tourist brochures?