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Iconic Parts of Nashville’s Lower Broadway Destroyed In Violent Riots

As major cities around the nation face destruction due to violent riots, Nashville is now under siege and the National…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

May 30, 2020

10:31 pm

As major cities around the nation face destruction due to violent riots, Nashville is now under siege and the National Guard has been deployed.

Peaceful protests turned into violent riots on Saturday evening (May 30) as rioters took to the streets of Music City to demand justice for the murder of George Floyd and to end police brutality.

The riots began in the early evening, with protestors setting fire to Nashville’s historic courthouse. The rioters then made their way to Broadway, where they reportedly busted out glass windows of several businesses and honky-tonks, including Big Time Boots, AJ’s Good Time Bar and The Stage. The glass windows were also shattered at Margaritaville, where looters were said to have gone in and ransacked merchandise inside.

Nashville’s Broadway strip, which has just begun reopening process, has taken a hit. The Stage venue’s glass is broken out. Glass is shattered at Margaritaville and merchandise inside is disheveled pic.twitter.com/7xQXHRA3Lg

— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) May 31, 2020

Glass storefronts have been broken out in downtown Nashville by the rioters. pic.twitter.com/dBANzELrYW

— Natalie Allison (@natalie_allison) May 31, 2020

The violent acts forced Metro Nashville Mayor John Cooper to issue an emergency order and Metro Nashville Police issued a curfew for 10pm local time. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also authorized the National Guard to be deployed.

This story is developing and will be updated as new information comes in.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.