Empty airports, long voting lines and a final farewell – The most memorable images of 2020
ByScott Flynn, WSBTV.com
Celebrating the Life of John Lewis The casket of Rep. John Lewis moves over the Edmund Pettus Bridge by horse drawn carriage during a memorial service for Lewis, Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Selma, Ala. Lewis, who carried the struggle against racial discrimination from Southern battlegrounds of the 1960s to the halls of Congress, died Friday, July 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
ByScott Flynn, WSBTV.com
ATLANTA — 2020 will be a year that few will forget for a number of reasons. This year, Georgia and the rest of the country dealt with a worldwide pandemic, racial tension and arguably the most consequential election in modern history. Here is a look back at some of the most captivating photos that shaped that history in metro Atlanta this year.
Protesters burn down Wendy’s restaurant that was site of Rayshard Brooks’ killing
Two more arrested in Wendy’s arson following Rayshard Brooks death Chisom Kingston, 23, and John Wade, 33 are charged with 1st Degree Arson and have been booked into the Fulton Co. Jail. (PHOTO: Atlanta Fire Rescue) In this Saturday, June 13, 2020, file photo, "RIP Rayshard" is spray-painted on a sign as flames engulf a Wendy's restaurant during protests in Atlanta. The restaurant was where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by police the previous evening following a struggle in the restaurant's drive-thru line. The deadly police shooting soon after the city erupted in fiery demonstrations protesting police brutality have cast a harsh spotlight on cracks in Atlanta's reputation for Black prosperity in politics and business. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Protests over death of George Floyd take destructive turn in downtown Atlanta
Protesters light police car on fire Protesters light a police car on fire outside the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta following march, rally over George Floyd's death. (WSBTV.com News Staff)
Protests over the death of George Floyd took a destructive turn in downtown Atlanta at the end of May.
The day started with protesters peacefully marching from Centennial Olympic Park to the state Capitol and back again. Later in the evening, as the protests grew larger, police formed a barricade outside the CNN Center to keep protesters at bay. As evening fell, the protests took a turn.
Shortly after 8 p.m., protesters started smashing the doors of the CNN Center. Then they moved on to parked police cruisers and began jumping on the cars, smashing the windows and eventually setting a police cruiser on fire.
Businesses and buildings across the city sustained damage as rioters moved through the city, smashing windows, setting off fireworks and looting businesses.
Coronavirus cases on the rise again in Georgia CORE employees take samples and information from protesters as they drive through the free COVID-19 testing site at the Chosewood Arts Complex Saturday, June 6, 2020. STEVE SCHAEFER FOR THE AJC
As metro Atlanta moved into the summer months, many Georgians faced long lines to get tested for COVID-19.
For many, that wait was hours long, as case numbers continued to rise.
Because of the demand, counties across the Atlanta metro worked to increase the number of testing sites.
Muriel Bowser and John Lewis at BLM mural Washington mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted out several photos of her and Rep. John Lewis together at the mural, which has been renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza, wearing face masks and with their arms crossed in solidarity with the movement. (PHOTO: Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser)
In what was likely his last public appearance, the late Rep. John Lewis joined Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser at the new Black Lives Matter mural that was painted along 16th Street in Washington, D.C., which runs directly in front of the White House.
Bowser tweeted out several photos of the two wearing face masks and with their arms crossed in solidarity with the movement.
Lewis was holding a cane at the time.
The mural was painted as protests erupted around the country and in Georgia over the death of George Floyd, who died at the hands of police.
“Our work won’t be easy — nothing worth having ever is — but I strongly believe, as Dr. King once said, that while the arc of the moral universe is long, it bends toward justice,” Lewis said at the time.
Rep. John Lewis crosses the Edmund Pettus Bridge one last time
Celebrating the Life of John Lewis The casket of Rep. John Lewis moves over the Edmund Pettus Bridge by horse drawn carriage during a memorial service for Lewis, Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Selma, Ala. Lewis, who carried the struggle against racial discrimination from Southern battlegrounds of the 1960s to the halls of Congress, died Friday, July 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Lewis passed away in July at the age of 80 after a long battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
One of the stops that Lewis’ casket made during the weeklong celebration of his life was at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
The Edmund Pettus Bridge is the site of the “Bloody Sunday” march in 1965. Lewis and hundreds of civil rights marchers tried to finish crossing over the bridge, only to be beaten to near-death by Alabama state troopers.
To cheers and applause, a horse-drawn caisson carried Lewis’ casket over the bridge as five of his siblings and son walked behind him.
Cardboard cutouts replace spectators at Braves games over COVID-19
Truist home opener: Braves win, baseball endures for another day Prior to the Braves home opener Wednesday, manager Brian Snitker inspects the cardboard cutouts of fans in the otherwise empty seats. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com
The COVID-19 shutdown impacted major league sports teams across the country, leaving teams to play to empty stadiums, arenas and ball fields.
The Atlanta Braves came up with a new way to keep the fan experience alive by selling cardboard cutouts of fans in Braves gear to put in the stands at Truist Park.
The funds raised by the effort went toward COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts.
Air travel comes to a screeching halt because of COVID-19
Airline Industry Devastated By Coronavirus Pandemic, As Americans Urged To Shelter At Home ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 20: Travelers walk through terminal A at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on April 20, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the cancellation and consolidation of flights across the globe. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
It is an image that many would probably never anticipate seeing — the world’s busiest airport nearly empty.
But as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread across the country, air travel came to a near-screeching halt leaving Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport with few travelers inside its concourses and terminals.
In the first three months of the pandemic shutdown, Delta Air Lines reported it lost $5.7 billion.
Supporters Of Joe Biden Celebrate Across The Country, After Major Networks Projection Him Winning The Presidency ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 07: Supporters of Joe Biden celebrate at the famous rainbow intersection on November 7, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. After four days of counting the high volume of mail-in ballots in key battleground states, President-elect Biden has defeated President Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Biden urged unity on November 7 and promised "a new day for America" in his first national address. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images) (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
With massive numbers of absentee ballots being cast across the country, it was no surprise that several states did not call a presidential winner on election night. It took about four days before Joe Biden was projected to be the next president of the United States.
People across the country and here in Georgia took to the streets to celebrate the victory.
Georgia played an unexpected role in the election, emerging as a battleground state for the first time since 1992.
Lines expected as election day finally arrives in Georgia Amanda McElveen holds 1-year old Luna, left, as Justin McElveen interacts while they and other voters stand in line in the rain at Garden Hills Elementary School in Atlanta on Friday, the last day of early voting for the Georgia primary. Lines lasted for hours in some places. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM
The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop a record number of people from turning out to vote in the 2020 election.
From the first day of early voting to absentee ballots, Georgians shattered records in this year’s election.
On the first day of early voting, people stood in line for hours to cast their ballots.
Trump supporters rally outside state Capitol to ‘Stop the Steal’
As the recounts over the 2020 election continued in Georgia, supporters of President Donald Trump rallied outside the state Capitol.
The events were organized by a group called Stop the Steal, which claims Trump lost the 2020 election due to massive voter fraud. Trump and his lawyers have not been able to provide evidence to back up his claims.
Speakers climbed a ladder to address the crowd from a bullhorn, demanding Georgia to conduct a special session of Congress.
Georgia vote audit 2020 AP photo Officials sort ballots during an audit at the Georgia World Congress Center on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Atlanta. Election officials in Georgia's 159 counties are undertaking a hand tally of the presidential race that stems from an audit required by state law. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
As required by state law, Georgia must do an audit following an election. Because of the controversy surrounding the 2020 election, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger decided to audit the presidential race in Georgia and ordered that the recount be done by hand.
“With the margin being so close, it will require a full by-hand recount in each county. This will help build confidence. It will be an audit, a recount and a recanvas all at once,” Raffensperger told Channel 2 investigative reporter Justin Gray at the time.
The Trump administration would go on to call for another recount of the election, which is allowed in the state when a margin of victory is within 0.5%.
Two more arrested in Wendy’s arson following Rayshard Brooks death Chisom Kingston, 23, and John Wade, 33 are charged with 1st Degree Arson and have been booked into the Fulton Co. Jail. (PHOTO: Atlanta Fire Rescue) In this Saturday, June 13, 2020, file photo, "RIP Rayshard" is spray-painted on a sign as flames engulf a Wendy's restaurant during protests in Atlanta. The restaurant was where Rayshard Brooks was shot and killed by police the previous evening following a struggle in the restaurant's drive-thru line. The deadly police shooting soon after the city erupted in fiery demonstrations protesting police brutality have cast a harsh spotlight on cracks in Atlanta's reputation for Black prosperity in politics and business. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Protesters light police car on fire Protesters light a police car on fire outside the CNN Center in downtown Atlanta following march, rally over George Floyd's death. (WSBTV.com News Staff)
Coronavirus cases on the rise again in Georgia CORE employees take samples and information from protesters as they drive through the free COVID-19 testing site at the Chosewood Arts Complex Saturday, June 6, 2020. STEVE SCHAEFER FOR THE AJC
Muriel Bowser and John Lewis at BLM mural Washington mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted out several photos of her and Rep. John Lewis together at the mural, which has been renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza, wearing face masks and with their arms crossed in solidarity with the movement. (PHOTO: Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser)
Celebrating the Life of John Lewis The casket of Rep. John Lewis moves over the Edmund Pettus Bridge by horse drawn carriage during a memorial service for Lewis, Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Selma, Ala. Lewis, who carried the struggle against racial discrimination from Southern battlegrounds of the 1960s to the halls of Congress, died Friday, July 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Truist home opener: Braves win, baseball endures for another day Prior to the Braves home opener Wednesday, manager Brian Snitker inspects the cardboard cutouts of fans in the otherwise empty seats. Curtis Compton ccompton@ajc.com
Airline Industry Devastated By Coronavirus Pandemic, As Americans Urged To Shelter At Home ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 20: Travelers walk through terminal A at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on April 20, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the cancellation and consolidation of flights across the globe. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Supporters Of Joe Biden Celebrate Across The Country, After Major Networks Projection Him Winning The Presidency ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 07: Supporters of Joe Biden celebrate at the famous rainbow intersection on November 7, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. After four days of counting the high volume of mail-in ballots in key battleground states, President-elect Biden has defeated President Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Biden urged unity on November 7 and promised "a new day for America" in his first national address. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images) (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Lines expected as election day finally arrives in Georgia Amanda McElveen holds 1-year old Luna, left, as Justin McElveen interacts while they and other voters stand in line in the rain at Garden Hills Elementary School in Atlanta on Friday, the last day of early voting for the Georgia primary. Lines lasted for hours in some places. JOHN SPINK/JSPINK@AJC.COM
Georgia vote audit 2020 AP photo Officials sort ballots during an audit at the Georgia World Congress Center on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Atlanta. Election officials in Georgia's 159 counties are undertaking a hand tally of the presidential race that stems from an audit required by state law. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
