NEWS BRIEF: Mother of slain “water boy” gets attention from Buckhead City officials
Mother seeks to ban ‘water boys’
Photo credit: Courtesy Jalanni Pless Family
The mother of a teenage boy who was shot in Midtown is partnering with Buckhead cityhood leaders to “break the cycle of violent crime, tragedy and fear fueled by teens who sell bottled water at busy intersections in Buckhead and the City of Atlanta,” according to a press release. Tomeka Pless, who says Atlanta officials have ignored her, is the mother of 18-year-old Jalanni Pless, killed in July 2020 at an 8th Street intersection following an argument over a $10 sale. She started an online petition to ban the activities of water boys that so far has drawn close to 5200 signatures. “We must do what’s right, put a stop to this and make a change,” Pless said. change.org