NASCAR: Hall of Fame damaged during protests

The NASCAR Hall of Fame in downtown Charlotte and the building that houses NASCAR's offices were among several buildings damaged Wednesday night during protests over the police shooting death of a black man on Tuesday afternoon.

Vandals damaged a street sign and attempted to pry out windows at the Hall of Fame, but it appears they were unable to access the Hall of Fame or its exhibits, the Charlotte Observer reported Thursday. A Buffalo Wild Wings located in one corner of the buildings had smashed windows and furniture strewn around the floor.

It was the second straight night people took to the streets to protest the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott, who police say was shot by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer at an apartment complex after allegedly refusing to drop a weapon he had pointed at them. Officers were attempting to serve a warrant for another man in the complex when they encountered Scott in a vehicle.

Laura White, director of communications for the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which oversees the NASCAR Hall of Fame building and the convention center next door, said in a statement that security measures were being taken to protect visitors to the Hall of Fame and local venues.

"The events that have transpired over the last 48 hours have been incredibly difficult for our community," White said. "We continue to keep open lines of communication with the CITY, CMPD and our partners to monitor the latest developments. The damage at our CRVA venues consists of broken exterior windows at the Charlotte Convention Center and NASCAR Hall of Fame and a breach that took place at one of our tenant spaces at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Buffalo Wild Wings.

"We do have events scheduled to take place in the Charlotte Convention Center and NASCAR Hall of Fame today and in the coming days. The safety of these meeting attendees who have traveled significant distances to convene in Charlotte is especially important to us and we're working to take appropriate security precautions in collaboration with our partners at CMPS. We'll continue to assess and communicate with our partners throughout the day."

The ground floor windows were smashed at the tower where NASCAR offices are located; adjacent to the Hall of Fame, NASCAR's offices occupy several of the tower's floors.

Several companies with offices in Charlotte, including Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Duke Energy, told their employees to stay home on Thursday.