  Synchrotron-emitting, nonthermal filaments (NTFs) have been observed near the
Galactic center for nearly four decades, yet their physical origin remains
unclear. Here we investigate the possibility that NTFs are produced by the
destruction of molecular clouds by the gravitational potential of the Galactic
center. We show that this model predicts the formation of a filamentary
structure with length on the order of tens to hundreds of pc, a highly ordered
magnetic field along the axis of the filament, and conditions conducive to
magnetic reconnection that result in particle acceleration. This model
therefore yields the observed magnetic properties of NTFs and a population of
relativistic electrons, without the need to appeal to a dipolar, $\sim$ mG,
Galactic magnetic field. As the clouds can be both completely or partially
disrupted, this model provides a means of establishing the connection between
filamentary structures and molecular clouds that is observed in some, but not
all, cases.
