The College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta was vandalized and looted Friday as part of riots in response to the death of George Floyd.
The windows of the hall of fame were smashed and the gift shop was looted, according to local police.
It is not known whether the museum portion of the building was vandalized and the total cost of damages.
The hall of fame is located near Centennial Olympic Park and CNN Center, which also was attacked in the riots.
“Protesters continue damaging businesses, looting and setting fire to buildings,” Atlanta Police Department Sgt. John Chafee said in a statement Saturday morning. “There has been looting at the College Football Hall of Fame … and many other businesses. We are grateful for the assistance being provided by multiple local and state law enforcement partners as we work to minimize the damage being caused by these individuals and to restore order in our city.”
A state of emergency was declared by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp while the National Guard was deployed to protect Atlanta.
The protest was in response to the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man in Minneapolis who died at the hands of a white police officer last week. Derek Chauvin, the cop, was arrested Friday and is being charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter after he pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck after Floyd was suspected of spending a counterfeit $20 bill while buying groceries.
In 2014, the hall of fame moved from South Bend, Indiana to Atlanta.
“We support the peaceful protests that honor [Floyd’s] memory but unfortunately deteriorated into chaos and disorder,” College Football Hall of Fame CEO Kimberly Beaudin said. “We are heartbroken to see the damage to our city and the Hall of Fame. As our Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said, we are better than this, better than this as a city, better than this as a country.
“In the coming days and weeks, we’ll work to pick up the pieces to rebuild the sacred walls that housed memories and honored those who played the game, many of whom fought these same injustices throughout their storied careers.”