Not since the Atlanta child
killings had an arrest created such a stir in the ATL. The melodrama and
excitement that surrounded the Atlanta jail continued to build by the
minute as everyone awaited the arrival of the most hyped suspect since
Wayne Williams. Media from CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews, along with local and
national press, crowded the rear entrance of the jail as they readied
their cameras, microphones, and questions for the accused that was about
to be ushered into the jail. The Memorial Day weekend in the ATL had
been a hot sizzling affair. But on this day, the first day of June, the
temperature and tension couldn't rise any higher than it already was as
everyone waited; waited for the prime suspect to finally arrive.
News of the murder of Joletta Anderson swept through the streets of
Atlanta faster than the winning numbers of the Georgia Lottery. Everyone
knew that Joletta wasn't just your usual murder victim. She was the
twenty-eight-year old daughter of Hobskin Anderson——mayor of Atlanta.
The discovery of her body slumped over the steering wheel of her
Mercedes over the weekend outside of her condominium with her throat
slashed came as a shock to the city. Inquiries quickly went out for the
perpetrator of this vicious murder, and in no time an investigation was
under way. For two days since that early Sunday morning when Joletta was
found slumped over her steering wheel, the city of Atlanta waited for
answers into the story of her killer. Tension ran high as everyone was
on edge. There was no illusion that this murder would be up under the
microscope of the public's eye, and the police chief, seeing the
magnitude of this case, personally vowed that the felon of this horrible
crime would be quickly apprehended.
The tragic murder of Mayor Anderson's daughter, however, wasn't the sole
reason for such a stir around the city and for such an imminent
widespread investigation. Joletta Anderson was not only the daughter of
Atlanta's highly popular mayor, but this talented former Miss Black
America was a powerful player in her own right in Atlanta's thriving
business, social, and entertainment community.
What Joletta had accomplished in her limited years was almost
astounding. She owned and ran one of Atlanta's most prosperous and most
talked about hip hop nightclubs known as Seven Flavors. She started her
very own music company and was on the verge of becoming one of Atlanta's
next major music moguls. She also owned a popular sports bar, a car
dealership, a state of the art exercise gym, was the owner of one of
Atlanta's most swank upscale restaurants, and had even opened up a
number of small boutique shops all around the city as she began to
market and distribute her very own line of women clothes. Joletta had a
Midas touch that only a few young black women her age could ever dream
of attaining. She was bold, ambitious, and had an ingenuity that matched
her drive and determination to succeed. If there was ever a key to the
city of Atlanta, then Joletta certainly possessed it.
But despite Joletta's success in her many professional endeavors at the
young age of twenty-eight, what really made her admired and loved around
Atlanta was her commitment and dedication to the people of the
community. Joletta became a committed champion and a constant advocate
for social causes and issues that were plaguing and ailing the city. She
was a devoted stalwart for Aids Awareness, an advocate against teen
pregnancy, a patron for young single black mothers, and a strong
supporter for voter registration drives throughout the black community.
With the help of her father's administration, she helped organize
scholarship funds for underprivileged minorities, solicited endlessly
for better access for the handicap, and became a spokesperson for those
who were suffering in mental institutions. Joletta had an insatiable
drive and a passion to help those who needed help, and her drive and
passion quickly caught on and became the passion of others around the
city.
There was absolutely nothing standing in the way of this shooting star
and the future only looked brighter. Joletta was a pioneer and a
trailblazer for the hip hop generation. She was a lady of many facets,
and there seemed that it was nothing that she couldn't do. The recipient
of a good family name and having the know-with-all of how to use it for
the betterment of society made her unique and loved. Joletta embodied
the word excellence like a trophy that was given solely to her. Now the
life of this young entrepreneurial, socially conscious, hip hop
progressive diva had been cut short; cut short by an unexplained murder
that had left the city of Atlanta in a state of shock.