Nashville protesters set fires, topple controversial statue

Protesters in Tennessee’s capital have set fires inside and outside a courthouse and toppled a statue of a former state lawmaker and newspaper publisher who espoused racist views. Nashville Mayor John Cooper declared a state of civil emergency after protesters set a fire inside Metro Courthouse. Demonstrators also made their way down Broadway Street, known for its plentiful honky tonks, as well as the historic Ryman Auditorium — known as the mother church of country music. A few small fires were lit near the the national historic landmark, but those were extinguihed.