Overview

The Atlanta Six Flags Riot refers to a riot that occurred on the opening day of Six Flags Over Georgia outside of Atlanta, Georgia where multiple brawls took place and a shooting occurred. A TikTok video of the riot from TikToker @unblockmeimysomuch with text reading, "surviving atl six flags😂😂," gained mass discourse and reactions on social media platforms like Twitter / X. Various users on X then used the video to fuel viral debates and offer commentary, which some perceived as racist, sparking backlash.

Background

On March 2nd, 2024, Six Flags Over Georgia outside of Atlanta, Georgia opened for the 2024 season. Local police were called to the scene to disperse "a sizeable unruly crowd" of 500 to 600 people who were "running through the park and fighting" according to ABC News.^[1] Then, gunfire broke out among the crowd, resulting in the shooting of a 15-year-old patron who was wounded and hospitalized.

Online Reaction

Before Six Flags Over Atlanta opened on March 2nd, 2024, internet users from the Atlanta area were already posting content that humorously foreboded a riot. For instance, on March 1st, 2024, TikToker^[2] @1richhjayy_ posted a video in which he predicted "10 fights, 🥷🏿 losing they respect, and hoes being green," gaining over 236,500 plays and 28,200 likes in three days (shown below, left).

On March 3rd, 2024, TikToker^[3] @shrekspookiebear3 posted a similar video, writing, "I'm from atl ofc I knew better than too not gt six flags td," gaining over 557,700 plays and 79,200 likes in a day (shown below, right).

Footage and reactions of the riot surfaced across social media on the day of, evident in a video shared by X^[6] user @privluhk6 on March 2nd, 2024, which was a screen-recording of an Instagram story, gaining over 1,900 likes in two days (shown below).

lmaoo y’all at six flags showing out pic.twitter.com/zNHD00hOfw

— privluhk6 (@privluhk6) March 3, 2024

Four videos were shared by X^[7] user @tweetingej on March 2nd, 2024, captioned, "pov: u went to sf march 2nd 2024," gaining over 1.7 million views and 16,000 likes in two days (shown below).

pov: u went to sf march 2nd 2024 pic.twitter.com/AaxEPsTOtg

— ej (@tweetingej) March 3, 2024

"Surviving ATL Six Flags" TikTok Video

Sometime after the riot, TikToker^[4] @unblockmeimysomuch posted a video (since deleted) that included her footage of the event with text overlay reading, "surviving atl six flags😂😂." The video was widely circulated before being deleted by @unblockmeimysomuch, evident in viral reposts elsewhere on social media.

The video was reposted by X^[5] user @Oilfield_Rando on March 3rd, 2024, gaining over 5.6 million views and 28,000 likes in a day (shown below). @Oilfield_Rando's caption read, "Tell me how this gets fixed. 500 minors show up at family amusement park, brawl with each other, assault security and shoot at police when told to stop. Reparations? After school programs? Nukes? What’s gonna fix this? I’m all ears, and I’m seriously asking."

Tell me how this gets fixed. 500 minors show up at family amusement park, brawl with each other, assault security and shoot at police when told to stop.Reparations? After school programs? Nukes? What’s gonna fix this? I’m all ears, and I’m seriously asking. pic.twitter.com/6OFqHj6uKs

— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) March 3, 2024

Some pundits on the app were accused of using the event to spread bigotry, as seen in reactions to X^[8] user Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) who wrote, "A new Six Flags opened outside of Atlanta. I'm sure you can guess what happened next," receiving over 4,600 likes in a day (shown below). Cheong falsely claimed that the Six Flags had just opened in 2024, while it had been originally opened in 1967.

A new Six Flags opened outside of Atlanta. I’m sure you can guess what happened next. pic.twitter.com/teco77X3Qb

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 3, 2024

Others posted similar false statements about the theme park on X,^[9] including Matt Wallace who tweeted "Six Flags Atlanta just opened their doors for the season. It didn't go as planned."

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External References