Photograph by Brinson + Banks
Atlantan is a first-person account from a familiar stranger who makes the city tick. This month’s is from Carldez Goodley, aka Hood Anchor Ye.
The reporting I do out there isn’t a joke. I try to balance being as accurate as I can and being for the people. I think more and more people are understanding that I’m very serious about this and what I do is real.
It did start as a joke, though, when this dude was going to jump off a bridge on the Connector. I was with friends nearby, and we took a video of me messing around about the situation, because I knew he wasn’t going to jump. This was on December 30 last year, and the video did 1.7 million views on TikTok and 60,000 on Instagram. I’m watching the views go up and up at home, and I just thought, I need to start going to scenes.
So then I got together a look—the robe, pajama pants, a “Breaking News” mic, the Magic City hat—and I would go to every single crime scene I could possibly find. Those first couple of weeks, I was messing around, but my page grew so fast. I started to see the influence I had and how many people were watching me. I knew I couldn’t just keep acting a fool for the camera. There were serious scenes, like murders, where I had to get down to business.
I think people reacted to my videos because I cover things the news doesn’t report on. I go into the trenches and try to get to as many scenes as possible. If something happened right now, I would get in my car and get there. I got a tooth pulled, couldn’t even barely talk, and I was out there reporting. My car was stolen one time, and I caught a ride to go to scenes.
The community trusted me from the beginning because I let them talk. You can’t curse on air, but with me, you can say whatever you want. People feel comfortable because I have no barriers. I know what I’m reporting on, too: The violence is something I’ve been seeing my whole life. I grew up in Decatur and ran through East Atlanta my whole life. So nothing shocks me, and I think the people I talk to want that.
I’m around a lot of real reporters now, like Cody Alcorn from 11 Alive, Rob DiRienzo from Fox 5—people I have respect for and have learned from.
Photograph by Brinson + Banks
One of my biggest problems I had was that I would get to the scene so fast that
I was barely letting stuff develop. Things can be inaccurate at first because it’s so fresh. There was a time that I got to a scene, and they said somebody had passed away, unresponsive. I posted a video, but it turned out EMS revived them. So I deleted my video, because I could have waited 30 or 40 more minutes to know that. Now I wait for things to develop.
You’re never going to get 100 percent support, no matter what you’re doing. People will be upset that I’m covering murders that their cousin was involved with, and I get negative comments about how I focus on tragedy. You know, we say we want a better community, and the first step to that is being aware. My part is bringing awareness. The next step is for the communities to focus on themselves. I think if you can focus on what you can do for your community, the whole world would be better.
I’m in my purpose now, and I’m going to continue to perfect my craft until the wheels fall off. I started doing this for free, so the sponsorships and promos I do are helping me get paid while doing what I love. I’m not saying I love reporting on tragedies, but it’s cool to be a voice and get information out.
People recognize me in the street, and I want them to know this isn’t just a joke. The whole Magic City thing in my videos is real too. When I say, “Meet me at Magic City,” I’m going to be there. I’m there almost every night. I’m dead serious. I’ll be there tonight—Magic Monday. I will never turn anybody down for a drink, too, unless you’re being extra, getting three or four shots. Come get you one.
This article appears in our October 2025 issue.
