Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Protesters damage College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta

Protestors damaged the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Ben Gray / Special
Protestors damaged the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Ben Gray / Special
By
May 30, 2020

Protesters smashed windows at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta and damaged a Chick-fil-A restaurant next door to the museum.

Some protesters were seen looting the building before several officers arrived to try to maintain order at the $68 million facility, which opened in 2014 to great fanfare after relocating from South Bend, Ind.

Several hurled garbage cans and other objects through the glass exterior of the building, which hosts football watch parties and other major events. Some then rushed inside to grab anything they could.

Nearby, a Georgia Tech police car burned as protesters chanted: “No justice, no peace.”

>> RELATED: Violence rocks Atlanta as peaceful protest ends in flames

>> PHOTOS: Atlanta rally against police violence draws hundreds, turns violent

>> COMPLETE COVERAGE: Atlanta protests 

>> RELATED: Buckhead stores, restaurants clean up after a night of riots and looting

>> FULL TEXT: Read Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms' plea for her city

>>MINUTE-BY-MINUTE: Peaceful protest turns violent

Protesters outside the College Football Hall of Fame Friday night. The HOF was defaced as crowds broke windows and went inside and took items.

Credit: Ben@bengray.com

icon to expand image

Credit: Ben@bengray.com

About the Author

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

Follow Eric Stirgus on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

Residents Angela Vaughn, Amber Miller and Montavious Vaughn show conditions in their apartment at Bolden Townhomes in Atlanta on Friday, June 6, 2025. Tenants of the community, along with the Housing Justice League, held a press conference to talk about dangerous conditions and forced evictions. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

‘Calling us squatters.’ Oakland City renters say they face illegal evictions

Tenants at Bolden Townhomes in southwest Atlanta say they have wrongly been accused of being squatters, and that they are forced to live in unsafe conditions.

Busy Dunwoody road reopens after water main repairs

Water service was restored earlier, but the road had remained off-limits as crews backfilled and cleaned up the area.

Peachtree City’s famous gator ‘Flat Creek Floyd’ dies after being hit by car

The 12-foot reptile became a celebrity in 2016, prompting warnings to not take selfies with the creature.

The Latest

Residents Angela Vaughn, Amber Miller and Montavious Vaughn show conditions in their apartment at Bolden Townhomes in Atlanta on Friday, June 6, 2025. Tenants of the community, along with the Housing Justice League, held a press conference to talk about dangerous conditions and forced evictions. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com

‘Calling us squatters.’ Oakland City renters say they face illegal evictions

Busy Dunwoody road reopens after water main repairs

Peachtree City’s famous gator ‘Flat Creek Floyd’ dies after being hit by car

Featured

The Atlanta Beltline has plans for a $3 million pilot program to bring autonomous vehicles to the Westside Trail. Beltline officials have proposed a 12-month trial featuring four driverless shuttles from Beep. (Handout)

Credit: Handout

Atlanta Beltline’s driverless vehicle pilot program a go

12-month trial will bring autonomous shuttles to Westside Trail during World Cup.

5 disturbing stats about the Braves’ struggles

If the Braves are going to turn this around, it needs to happen soon.

Federal cuts, rising costs force Georgia schools into hard financial choices

Georgia school systems are looking for places to trim their budgets as financial challenges loom. One superintendent warned they're “on a collision course to insolvency.”