Primary Sources: The 1980s: Law & Crime

"Please be advised that the material on this website is being provided to the public pursuant to order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in the matter of In Re McCray, Richardson, Santana, Wise and Salaam Litigation, 03 CV 9685 (RLE), in an effort to de-designate confidential material to increase public knowledge of the underlying records and proceedings in this matter and to serve educational and historical purposes and as required by SDNY Court Orders dated 8/12/16 and 11/14/17 ["

"Between 1979 and 1981, approximately 29 African-American children, teens, and young adults—mostly boys—were kidnapped and murdered. A majority of the killings shared common details. The FBI joined the multi-agency investigation in 1980. In our files, the major case is called ATKID, short for the Atlanta Child Murders. The investigation was closed following the conviction of Wayne Bertram Williams for two of the murders in 1982; after the trial, law enforcement linked Williams to 20 more of the 29 murders. This release was made prior to the creation of the FBI Vault; the files have since been renamed to enhance the clarity of the information, but the content remains the same."

"Bernhard Hugo Goetz, 37-year-old Manhattan man with no criminal record, surrenders to Concord, NH, police, saying he was gunman who shot four teen-agers on subway train in Manhattan on Dec 22 when they approached and asked him for money; photo (M) ;
Bernhard Hugo Goetz, 37-year-old Manhattan man with no criminal record, surrenders to Concord, NH, police, saying he was gunman who shot four teen-agers on subway car on Dec 22, 1984, after they approached him and asked him for money; police say Goetz, self-employeed electronics specialist, was mugged three years ago and afterward applied for gun permit, which he was denied; photo of police officials (M)"

"In a powerful 1990 episode of "Say Brother" (now known as Basic Black), residents of Mission Hill gather in a town meeting format at the Mission Hill housing development gym to discuss the profound aftermath of the 1989 Carol Stuart murder case. Moderators Elliott Francis, Lovell Dyett, and Delores Handy Brown facilitate a crucial dialogue among community members, including the family of Willie Bennett, who was wrongly accused of the murder. This episode captures the raw emotions and perspectives of those directly impacted by the case, emphasizing the negative stereotypes and harassment they faced, and the call for a healing process involving the residents."