At around 6 pm ET, protesters began to move in front of the CNN Center, where police gathered. Over the next several hours, the crowd swelled when SWAT was called to help control the crowd.
Around 7 pm ET, protesters were seen destroying the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta, which is flanked by Philips Arena and Centennial Park.
Protesters were seen damaging the CNN logo outside his office, breaking building windows and entering the center. Protesters were also heard chanting anti-media rhetoric.
At around 7:40 pm, protesters were seen destroying Atlanta Police Department vehicles parked in front of CNN.
Protesters entered the CNN Center and destroyed the interior of the building around 9 pm ET. A man is seen breaking the glass in the middle with a skateboard.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, during a press conference Friday night, spoke directly to the protesters: “You have damaged the CNN building. Ted Turner started CNN in Atlanta, 40 years ago because he believed in who we are as a city.”
Protests in Atlanta ended a complicated day for the network.
A CNN crew was arrested while giving a live report Friday morning in Minneapolis as they covered the ongoing protests. Journalists were released about an hour later.
