George Floyd protests in Atlanta
Protesters and police clashed throughout the night as several buildings and vehicles around the Centennial Olympic Park area were damaged or vandalized.On June 12, a police officer in the city shot and killed Rayshard Brooks outside of a Wendy's downtown, which triggered another large-scale wave of protests.[1] Additional protests were held in April 2021 following the killing of Daunte Wright and the announcement of the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin.A glass door leading into the nearby Omni Hotel was shattered,[7] as were the windows on the College Football Hall of Fame, with people stealing merchandise from the latter.[10][16] Shortly after 8 pm, the protesters seemingly began shifting their focus from violently taking out any barriers (windows and doors) leading into the building, to actually finding a way to enter.[24] Through the morning of May 30, police and firefighters responded to calls of vandalism, looting, and arson in Buckhead, which is considered an "upscale" area of the city.[14] Shortly before midnight, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office announced that the entirety of their law enforcement division had been dispatched to the Lenox area.[29] Also that morning, professional basketball player and Marietta, Georgia native Jaylen Brown (who at the time was playing for the Boston Celtics) announced his intent to travel to Atlanta to peacefully protest that day.[31] Throughout the day, protesters gathered near the CNN Center,[32] as well as several other locations throughout the city, such as at the Georgia Governor's Mansion and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.[34] Several days later, the police involved in the incident were charged with various crimes associated with their actions, including aggravated assault and criminal damage to property.[39] Earlier in the day, she had been interviewed on CBS (as part of the channel's Face the Nation program) and NBC, where she criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for exacerbating the situation with his rhetoric regarding the protests.[34][48] Protests on this day were considered more peaceful than during the previous night, with several hundred police and National Guard soldiers stationed near Centennial Olympic Park.[28] According to a report in the student newspaper The Signal, this was "in response to the state lawmaker’s failure to pass hate crime bills in Georgia.[29] A short time after this, a large group of protesters assembled near Centennial Olympic Park and began marching towards the capitol, arriving there around 8 pm, where police fired tear gas into the crowds.[49] That same day, Governor Kemp held a press conference where he praised law enforcement officers for their response during the protests.[49] Around 7 pm, a group of protesters gathered near the Fox Theatre, where they held a moment of silence in honor of Floyd, while in Centennial Olympic Park, tear gas was again used to disperse crowds.[53] While some protesters remained around Centennial Olympic Park after the curfew, no tear gas was used by law enforcement and only six arrests were made that day.[62][63] Several events were held throughout the metro Atlanta area, including at Atlantic Station and Ebenezer Baptist Church within the city proper.[60] At about 1:30 pm, a group consisting of African American pastors led a march, called "Preachers for the People", along Auburn Avenue (by Big Bethel AME Church)[55] to the capitol, singing protest songs along the way.[60] Around 3 pm, some protesters had gathered in Piedmont Park to begin a march through Midtown Atlanta in honor of Tony McDade, an African American transgender man who had been shot and killed by police on May 27.[60] These protestors later held a moment of silence at the intersection of Tenth Street and Piedmont Road, considered the heart of Atlanta's gay neighborhood.[60] Shortly after 4 pm, a group of about 150 protesters marched through the campus of Georgia State University on their way from Woodruff Park to the capitol.[60] Closer to 4:30 pm, another group marched from Cleopas R. Johnson Park to the city hall in honor of black women who had been killed by police.[60] These protesters reached the city hall by about 5:30 pm, by which time sizable crowds had also formed around the capitol and the governor's mansion.[64] That same day, another protester was arrested and charged with a felony (interference with government property) for defacing the pedestal of the Gordon statue by writing "Tear Down" in chalk.[59] Around 10:30 pm, Rayshard Brooks, a 27-year-old African American man, was shot and killed by police following a brief struggle at a Wendy's in downtown Atlanta.[68] Several thousand protesters marched from the Richard B. Russell Federal Building to the capitol after the legislature had reconvened following an earlier break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[73] At the city hall, over 50 protesters chanted "care not cages" and "Black lives matter" while holding signs saying "defund APD".[74] Brooks' funeral was held in a ceremony at Ebenezer Baptist Church with several notable individuals in attendance, such as Bernice King, T.I., Mayor Bottoms, former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and the Reverend Raphael Warnock.[75] On April 16, a protest march was held in northeast Atlanta, starting at the Old Fourth Ward Park, following the killing of Daunte Wright.
George Floyd protests in Georgia2020–2021 United States racial unrestGeorgia National GuardCentennial Olympic ParkAtlantaMurder of Ahmaud ArberyKilling of Rayshard BrooksMurder of George FloydShooting of Tony McDadeKilling of Breonna TaylorPolice brutalityRacial inequalityGeorgiaGeorge Floyd protestsDerek ChauvinMinneapolisprotesting occurred in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul areadowntown AtlantaGeorgia State CapitolAtlanta City HallGeorgia Governor's MansionCNN CenterAtlanta MayorKeisha Lance Bottomsstate of emergencyGeorgia GovernorBrian Kempkilled Rayshard BrooksWendy'sJuneteenthkilling of Daunte Wrighttrial of Derek ChauvinGeorge Floydwas murderedI can't breathesite of Floyd's arrestMinneapolis Police DepartmentMinnesota GovernorTim WalzMinnesota National GuardOakland CemeteryConfederate memorialsConfederate ObeliskNo justice, no peacemoment of silenceraised fistssocial distancingCOVID-19 pandemicThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionAtlanta Police DepartmentAPD ChiefErika Shieldspolice vehiclesGeorgia TechriflesOmni HotelCollege Football Hall of Famespray paintFuck Trumpsmoke grenadestear gasrubber bulletsfirecrackerBernice KingMartin Luther King Jr.rappersKiller MikeU.N. AmbassadorAndrew YoungFulton CountyWXIA-TVMarietta StreetfirefightersBuckheadPhipps PlazaLindberghPiedmont RoadPeachtree RoadAtlanta Fire Rescue Departmentfire trucksFulton County Sheriff's Officepolice busesMarietta, GeorgiaJaylen BrownBoston CelticsNational Basketball AssociationMalcolm BrogdonJustin AndersonMartin Luther King Jr. National Historical Parkcurfewtested for COVID-19terroristLenox Square MallAtlanta metropolitan areaplastic handcuffspolice precinctall-terrain vehicleMorehouse CollegeSpelman CollegeFace the NationDonald Trumprunning matepresidential candidateJoe BidenMetropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authoritystudent newspaperThe Signalstate lawmakerhate crimegovernment of AtlantaDowntown Connectortaking the kneePorsha WilliamsFox TheatreUnderground AtlantaKing Center for Nonviolent Social ChangePiedmont ParkPonce City MarketAuburn AvenueTenth StreetNew York PostMacarenaequestrian statue of John Brown GordonGordonConfederateAmerican Civil War