The author's objective is to give context to interweaving details, to chronologically recall a set of dynamic events, and to describe what happened when the legitimate social constructions, collective fears, and conventional wisdom of ordinary people came up against larger political, economic, and legal realities. Many in the black community contended that the murders were racially motivated and that perhaps the Ku Klux Klan or some other white hate group was directly responsible. This book examines some of the complex political and ideological issues of race and class that dominated the public's reaction to the Atlanta youth murders. Detailed information relative to the official investigation was obtained by examining documentation in the FBI's files. The author attended neighborhood meetings, participated in various panel discussions and workshops, and chatted at length with people who were close to the tragic events. In response to this concern, the research team actively sought the opinions of grassroots people who were beginning to organize various responses to the murders and disappearances. It was clear that the residents were less interested in responding to the survey than in discussing the disappearances and killings of several poor black neighborhood children, which they sensed had been occurring regularly over the previous seven or more months. Over the course of two years, nearly 30 people were murdered in the city of Atlanta, very possibly by the same serial killer in whats been dubbed 'the Atlanta Child Murders,' yet for some reason the average person most likely doesnt know anything about the horrifying case. The study was of representative samples of residents who lived on the city's poor black south side.

In the spring of 1980, the author and a research team conducted the standard survey-type study of respondent opinions, attitudes, and assessments of crime in their Atlanta neighborhoods.

Atlanta child serial murderer