Federal authorities are investigating a vandalism case after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in downtown Atlanta was spray-painted overnight Saturday.
Police said they believe a group broke windows and spray-painted the building and others nearby, where the National Guard has been deployed while police investigate the scene, local media reported.
A portion of Ted Turner Drive near the Norfolk Southern Building has been blocked off while authorities investigate.
Since the May 25 death of George Floyd, protests have erupted in Atlanta and other cities across the country. Amid the demonstrations for social justice, there have also been riots involving looting, arson, and assaults.
President Trump has criticized the demonstrations and deployed or threatened to deploy federal law enforcement officers to some cities where civil unrest is most prevalent.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms was one of several mayors who signed a letter to the White House earlier this summer telling the Trump administration they do not want or need their help policing streets.
“The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked a national uprising and reckoning,” the mayor said. “The majority of the protests have been peaceful and aimed at improving our communities. Where this is not the case, it still does not justify the use of federal forces. Unilaterally deploying these paramilitary-type forces into our cities is wholly inconsistent with our system of democracy and our most basic values.”
