ATLANTA — Cleanup is underway at the College Football Hall of Fame Saturday morning.
The popular Atlanta attraction was damaged and looted during violent protests in Atlanta on Friday night, Atlanta police confirmed in a statement.
Channel 2 Action News spoke with Kimberly Beaudin, CEO of the College Football Hall of Fame. Beaudin said no one got away with anything from inside the museum.
“We inspected everything. None of the artifacts or treasures were damaged," she said.
But there’s no question a lot of damage was done. Beaudin met with Channel 2′s Steve Gehlbach outside the hall as she assessed the damage Saturday morning.
They could see glass from the front doors scattered on the ground and tipped over merchandise displays.
The College Football Hall of Fame is next to Centennial Olympic Park and a just a few blocks away from the CNN Center, the epicenter of Friday’s protests.
Some people smashed the front windows with garbage cans and other objects to get inside before they grabbed whatever they could from the gift shop. Channel 2 Action News photographer captured video that showed two women stuff bags with merchandise.
“All the damage appears to be contained to the front of the store. Obviously the store was looted and then some glass on the field,” Beaudin said.
The CEO told us she is heartbroken not only to see the damage at the hall, but also to the city.
“We completely support the right for peaceful protest. This, unfortunately, just turned into chaos and disorder so quickly," Beaudin said.
The focus is now on rebuilding.
“We will get it restored and get it open as soon as possible.”