CNN put up a fence around its headquarters in Atlanta on Friday amid ongoing “Black Lives Matter” protests.
Demonstrations continued outside the Georgia state capitol Friday over the death of Rayshard Brooks, who was fatally shot June 12 in Atlanta by a police officer after running away with the officer’s taser. Photos posted by Townhall reporter Julio Rosas show CNN’s nearby headquarters surrounded by the new barrier following damage from an earlier protest that turned into a riot. (RELATED: Phone Audio Shows Dispatcher Was Concerned With George Floyd Response)
CNN has put up a fence outside its HQ after the building was attacked during the riots in Atlanta a few weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/Mdabg9qmiM
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) June 19, 2020
The building was attacked by rioters in late May, with the damage including a number of broken glass windows and spray paint on the CNN logo. A video showed the crowd cheering as people threw objects at the windows.
Glass getting broken outside the main entrance to CNN’s Atlanta headquarters; protesters cheer pic.twitter.com/EToiEj5Pom
— Fernando Alfonso III (@fernalfonso) May 29, 2020
Nationwide protests and riots erupted after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes. Peaceful demonstrations turned into riots in many cities, and the situation has escalated in Atlanta following Brooks’ death.
Protesters burned down the Wendy’s where Brooks was shot when riots began Saturday.
#UPDATE Wendy’s is officially on fire. @FOX5Atlanta https://t.co/5GyvNd39BR pic.twitter.com/1irEI4rJif
— Alex Whittler (@AlexWhittler) June 14, 2020
The Atlanta Police Foundation, a charity established to support the city’s mayor and police forces, gave officers a $500 bonus Thursday due to their work during the protests and replaced the vehicles that were destroyed.
After former Officer Garrett Rolfe was charged with murder Wednesday for the shooting of Rayshard Brooks, Atlanta police officers reportedly walked off the job mid-shift.
The Atlanta Police Department denied the reports, saying in a tweet that “the department is experiencing a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift,” but that they “have enough resources to maintain operations & remain able to respond to incidents.”