Metropolitan Parkway's prostitution problem turns violent

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• VanAntwerp's back following the beating

Perhaps emboldened by the relative free reign she and her cohorts have enjoyed for a number of years on Metropolitan Parkway, a southwest Atlanta prostitute — and her pimp and another man — dished out a merciless beating to a woman who simply stated the obvious.

Valerie VanAntwerp was walking down Metropolitan toward her Adair Park home last Saturday night when she passed a prostitute on the street and, in a moment of frustration, said, "I know you aren't here waiting for the bus." VanAntwerp continued walking, but the prostitute, her pimp and another man caught up to her. The man she believes was the prostitute's pimp beat her with a bottle while the prostitute kicked her and pulled her hair. It took police 20 minutes to respond to the scene, by which time VanAntwerp's three attackers were long gone.

In a letter sent to police and several city officials, VanAntwerp's fiance Jay Melton wonders, "She made a bad decision walking home down that street alone, but as a resident here, why should we have to put up with the prostitution on Metro, the drug selling and the violence?"

"Adair Park is furious about this," Melton told CL today. "We have tolerated the prostitution for way too long as they never bothered us, they stayed out on Metropolitan. Occasionally, they come up into the vacant houses, but we have worked to eradicate that."

Melton is unsure whether or not police have the female suspect in custody. We contacted NPU-V Chair Travie Leslie about the incident, but haven't heard back.