LAST week marked not only the tenth anniversary of September 11th, but also the reckoning of a lesser-known trauma on New York soil: the 40th anniversary of the Attica prison uprising. At a time when the country’s prison population is bursting, with more than 2m people behind bars, the anniversary of this riot is inescapably meaningful.
At the Brooklyn Academy of Music, screenings of two documentaries and panel discussions, brought together some of those involved in the rebellion. This included a few inmates, a guard who had been held hostage by them, and Elizabeth Fink, a firebrand attorney who has essentially devoted her life to pursuing some measure of compensation from the State of New York for what happened that day.
On September 9th 1971 more than 1,000 prisoners of the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York gained control of Prison Yard D. They took several dozen prison employees hostage for five days and made demands for better living conditions, such as better nutrition, some educational opportunities and access to more than one shower per week. They invited observers to witness the negotiation process, including several politicians, Tom Wicker, an editor at the New York Times, William Kunstler, a famous civil rights attorney, and Louis Farakhan of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Just as Vietnam entered people’s homes through televised images, both documentaries—“Attica!” (1974) and “Ghosts of Attica” (2001)—show how Americans sat transfixed as they watched the events unfold on screen. Because of this trove of footage, the films provide a poignantly clear picture of the rebellion and the tragically violent aftermath ordered by Governor Nelson Rockefeller on September 13th. Indiscriminant shooting left 39 people killed, including ten of the guards held hostage. Scores more were wounded. It was one of the bloodiest one-day encounters among Americans in since the civil war. The panelists, echoing a general historical consensus, mused that Rockefeller, a Republican, had not yet given up his presidential ambitions and wanted to overcome his image as a liberal north-easterner with a show of brute force and a display of his commitment to law and order. He went on to serve as vice president under Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1977.
In recently uncovered tapes from the Nixon White House, several rather memorable conversations have surfaced between the president and Rockefeller. Just after the storming of the prison by state troopers, Rockefeller tells Nixon, “They did a fabulous job. It really was a beautiful operation.” Another notable moment is when Nixon tells his Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman, “the fact that it’s basically a black thing…that’s going to turn people off awful damn fast…”
When Ms Fink first saw the “Attica!” documentary in 1974, as a recent law-school graduate, it was a call to take action. The second film, “Ghosts of Attica”, features her subsequent work with the Attica inmates. After nearly 30 years, the inmates won a $12m judgment against the state, but no apology or admission of responsibility. According to Ms Fink, Attica's legacy can be seen in America's massive prison population and recidivism problems, which have grown exponentially since that bloody day in September 1971.
Read on: "A catching sickness", a look at America's sentencing system
At the Brooklyn Academy of Music, screenings of two documentaries and panel discussions, brought together some of those involved in the rebellion. This included a few inmates, a guard who had been held hostage by them, and Elizabeth Fink, a firebrand attorney who has essentially devoted her life to pursuing some measure of compensation from the State of New York for what happened that day.
On September 9th 1971 more than 1,000 prisoners of the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York gained control of Prison Yard D. They took several dozen prison employees hostage for five days and made demands for better living conditions, such as better nutrition, some educational opportunities and access to more than one shower per week. They invited observers to witness the negotiation process, including several politicians, Tom Wicker, an editor at the New York Times, William Kunstler, a famous civil rights attorney, and Louis Farakhan of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Just as Vietnam entered people’s homes through televised images, both documentaries—“Attica!” (1974) and “Ghosts of Attica” (2001)—show how Americans sat transfixed as they watched the events unfold on screen. Because of this trove of footage, the films provide a poignantly clear picture of the rebellion and the tragically violent aftermath ordered by Governor Nelson Rockefeller on September 13th. Indiscriminant shooting left 39 people killed, including ten of the guards held hostage. Scores more were wounded. It was one of the bloodiest one-day encounters among Americans in since the civil war. The panelists, echoing a general historical consensus, mused that Rockefeller, a Republican, had not yet given up his presidential ambitions and wanted to overcome his image as a liberal north-easterner with a show of brute force and a display of his commitment to law and order. He went on to serve as vice president under Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1977.In recently uncovered tapes from the Nixon White House, several rather memorable conversations have surfaced between the president and Rockefeller. Just after the storming of the prison by state troopers, Rockefeller tells Nixon, “They did a fabulous job. It really was a beautiful operation.” Another notable moment is when Nixon tells his Chief of Staff, H.R. Haldeman, “the fact that it’s basically a black thing…that’s going to turn people off awful damn fast…”
When Ms Fink first saw the “Attica!” documentary in 1974, as a recent law-school graduate, it was a call to take action. The second film, “Ghosts of Attica”, features her subsequent work with the Attica inmates. After nearly 30 years, the inmates won a $12m judgment against the state, but no apology or admission of responsibility. According to Ms Fink, Attica's legacy can be seen in America's massive prison population and recidivism problems, which have grown exponentially since that bloody day in September 1971.
Read on: "A catching sickness", a look at America's sentencing system
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Nightscroft Squire Maldunne wrote:
Sep 23rd 2011 5:34 GMT
"It was one of the bloodiest one-day encounters among Americans in since the civil war. "
should be "among Americans since the civil war".
should be "among Americans since the civil war".
Roux28 wrote:
Sep 23rd 2011 6:01 GMT
Just imagine if all those Attica inmates had not committed crimes -often making fellow human beings the targets of their violence - then they would not have been imprisoned under those dismal conditions and there would have been no need for an uprising...
Just imagine. (Thank you John Lennon, wherever you are.)
Just imagine. (Thank you John Lennon, wherever you are.)
J. Kemp wrote:
Sep 23rd 2011 6:09 GMT
Important to keep in mind is the fact that the majority of those wasting away in America's prisons are victims of America's a monstrously profitable multi-industry built upon America' ill-conceived and morally corrupt "war on drugs".
One has to look deeply into America's war on drugs to understand all of the economic interests that it serves. Only by the excessive criminalization of personal drug use, and thereby driving up drug prices, which in turn attracts the worst type of criminals, could America create such a mess at it has created. A massive prison population is just one feature of this mess.
One wonders what further episodes could arise in America's vast prison gulag as its economy spirals downwards through fits and starts, and its government loses its grip in so many ways.
One has to look deeply into America's war on drugs to understand all of the economic interests that it serves. Only by the excessive criminalization of personal drug use, and thereby driving up drug prices, which in turn attracts the worst type of criminals, could America create such a mess at it has created. A massive prison population is just one feature of this mess.
One wonders what further episodes could arise in America's vast prison gulag as its economy spirals downwards through fits and starts, and its government loses its grip in so many ways.
Ed in Pa. wrote:
Sep 23rd 2011 6:11 GMT
So what was the point of the article? Because inmate lawyers won their case the taxpayer has to shell out more for the people in prison. Nothing about the suffering of victims (police) families who must live without the loved ones murdered. No amout of money can convince me that what happened was justified. Why not report some stats on where the inmate population is today, 40 years hence?
jouris wrote:
Sep 23rd 2011 6:52 GMT
So Ed, are you saying that the prison staff killed were killed by the inmates, rather than the barrage of gunfire from those retaking the prison?
If so, do you have any evidence to back up that assertion? And if not, would not the State of New York be the ones responsible for the dead staff?
If so, do you have any evidence to back up that assertion? And if not, would not the State of New York be the ones responsible for the dead staff?
James of Houston wrote:
Sep 23rd 2011 6:54 GMT
From reading an account of the Attica prison riot several years ago (in Esquire, I believe), all of the hostages died as a result of "friendly fire" from the corrections officers tasked with rescuing them who fired indiscriminately into the prison yard where the prisoner were holding the hostages.
FiniteResources wrote:
Sep 23rd 2011 7:10 GMT
Ed, here are some stats from various sources. At end of 2010 the US prison population was over 2.4 million, up from 2.2 million in 2009 (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). US Bureau of Justice data suggests that over over seven million more were under correctional supervision in 2009 and that over 13 million pass through U.S. prisons and jails annually. About 70% of prisoners are in for non violent offences.
The US imprisons the highest proportion of its population in the world, 23% more people per 100,000 than second-placed Rwanda. Incidentally, the US rate is twice as high as Iran and six times higher than China (ranked 117th). (International Centre for Prison Studies).
Keeping US prisons full seems to be quite hard work although the three strikes rule has put one menace to society away for two consecutive 25 year terms for shoplifting nine videotapes. He'll be kept busy helping to produce the 100% of US military helmets, ID tags and ammunition belts, the 95% of paints, the 36% of domestic appliances and the 21% of of US office furniture that are made by US prison labour.(BBC)
What's going on here? Is the American dream now written as 'treat 'em mean and keep 'em keen'? This is so tragic and unnecessary.
The US imprisons the highest proportion of its population in the world, 23% more people per 100,000 than second-placed Rwanda. Incidentally, the US rate is twice as high as Iran and six times higher than China (ranked 117th). (International Centre for Prison Studies).
Keeping US prisons full seems to be quite hard work although the three strikes rule has put one menace to society away for two consecutive 25 year terms for shoplifting nine videotapes. He'll be kept busy helping to produce the 100% of US military helmets, ID tags and ammunition belts, the 95% of paints, the 36% of domestic appliances and the 21% of of US office furniture that are made by US prison labour.(BBC)
What's going on here? Is the American dream now written as 'treat 'em mean and keep 'em keen'? This is so tragic and unnecessary.
dublinerin wrote:
Sep 23rd 2011 8:11 GMT
Nice pun in the first paragraph with "inescapably meaningful". But you mean "indiscriminate shooting" in the third paragraph
J. Wagner wrote:
Sep 23rd 2011 9:28 GMT
When one considers that those who are currently imprisoned will never be allowed to vote, but will be compelled to pay taxes, will be automatically suspect of crimes because of their records, will have a great deal of trouble getting a job because of their records, is it a wonder that many are repeat offenders?
San Quentin and other prisons are the US gulags for those who are poor and especially those who are poor and nonwhite. But for many, the US is nearly a democracy. For cash or good credit.
San Quentin and other prisons are the US gulags for those who are poor and especially those who are poor and nonwhite. But for many, the US is nearly a democracy. For cash or good credit.
John Eh wrote:
Sep 24th 2011 12:40 GMT
I have never been incarcerated. Nor, God willing, shall I ever be incarerated in the US. This article graphically explains why that is my prayer.
Many of us who do not live in that country watch 'reality' shows concerning law enforcement there such as 'Cops©', carried on the Fox network. We have become acutely aware of the ease with which we may join the population at Attica by means of a simple traffic offense and the wrong colour passport. To preserve our human rights, we avoid travel in a country that thinks so highly of imprisonment.
Thank you, BBC, for making this danger and its attendant perils more widely known.
For those who have problems with this comment, may I recommend that you watch 'Cops©' as a sort of travelogue? You will find it one of the most enlightening programmes carried by the Murdoch consortium.
Many of us who do not live in that country watch 'reality' shows concerning law enforcement there such as 'Cops©', carried on the Fox network. We have become acutely aware of the ease with which we may join the population at Attica by means of a simple traffic offense and the wrong colour passport. To preserve our human rights, we avoid travel in a country that thinks so highly of imprisonment.
Thank you, BBC, for making this danger and its attendant perils more widely known.
For those who have problems with this comment, may I recommend that you watch 'Cops©' as a sort of travelogue? You will find it one of the most enlightening programmes carried by the Murdoch consortium.
Nirvana-bound wrote:
Sep 24th 2011 1:52 GMT
America has, over the last few decades morphed slowly, silently & surreptitiously into a defacto police state, where individual freedom & independent thinking have eroded inexorably, without the American people, truly recognising this collosal travesty in their delusional, albeit shackled lives.
What a tragic-comedy!
What a tragic-comedy!
Reluctant Polutter wrote:
Sep 24th 2011 7:17 GMT
@ jouris:
...are you saying that the prison staff killed were killed by the inmates, rather than the barrage of gunfire from those retaking the prison?"
Of course they were: if they weren't take hostage, it wouldn't be any shooting.
So I hope the $12 mln sqweesed by Ms Fink from the taxpayers were spend to compensate the killed guards' relatives till the last cent. Did I tell I hoped? Well, better to tell I had a dream...
...are you saying that the prison staff killed were killed by the inmates, rather than the barrage of gunfire from those retaking the prison?"
Of course they were: if they weren't take hostage, it wouldn't be any shooting.
So I hope the $12 mln sqweesed by Ms Fink from the taxpayers were spend to compensate the killed guards' relatives till the last cent. Did I tell I hoped? Well, better to tell I had a dream...
Nirvana-bound wrote:
Sep 24th 2011 5:12 GMT
Privatising Correctional Institutions was the last straw that broke the back of freedom & liberty, in this shackled land of brazen political correctness & neurotic Homeland Security. Prisons & Correctional Services have turned into a multi-billion dollar business, that thrives on institutionalising more & more & more. End result: you're guilty until proven innocent - at least for all visible minorities, most Average Joes & even Janes.
Is this what the fabled land of opportunity, freedom & liberty has pathetically morphed into? WOW!
Is this what the fabled land of opportunity, freedom & liberty has pathetically morphed into? WOW!
pyritepirate wrote:
Sep 24th 2011 7:48 GMT
I think some of the comments posted here belie a belief that prisons exist as a purely punitive measure and are not for rehabilitation/correctional purposes. While some people who commit crimes may be beyond wanting to reform themselves and their life choices, there are people in the US prison system who are not repeat offenders. More importantly, there are people in prison who do not want to be in prison again.
It is terribly hard to break the generational and life-long cycle of poverty in crime. Perhaps prisons could act as more of a way to help incarcerated people break free of that cycle. Just imagine if that were the case and prisons had already improved educational opportunities (in addition to better nutrition and more than one weekly allowed shower) before Attica.
Besides the need for the prison system to be revised to actually help people instead of punishing them, the imprisonment rate (as has already been mentioned in the comments) in the US is disproportionately high. And, frankly, that is unacceptable. Either the US is putting people behind bars for the wrong reasons or this indicates a social problem across the country. Perhaps both.
While Attica was a terrible tragedy, I believe a lot of the fault lies with the "indiscriminant shooting" of prisoners and guards alike that the NY state government approved. How can a government shoot down its own citizens? This is an encounter that ought to terrify law-abiding and criminal Americans.
It is terribly hard to break the generational and life-long cycle of poverty in crime. Perhaps prisons could act as more of a way to help incarcerated people break free of that cycle. Just imagine if that were the case and prisons had already improved educational opportunities (in addition to better nutrition and more than one weekly allowed shower) before Attica.
Besides the need for the prison system to be revised to actually help people instead of punishing them, the imprisonment rate (as has already been mentioned in the comments) in the US is disproportionately high. And, frankly, that is unacceptable. Either the US is putting people behind bars for the wrong reasons or this indicates a social problem across the country. Perhaps both.
While Attica was a terrible tragedy, I believe a lot of the fault lies with the "indiscriminant shooting" of prisoners and guards alike that the NY state government approved. How can a government shoot down its own citizens? This is an encounter that ought to terrify law-abiding and criminal Americans.
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