The Rising of the Oppressed at Attica
The night of September 8, 1971, was a sleepless one for the men of Cell Block A. Hours before, a fight had broken out between guards and two popular inmates, who were later dragged off to solitary confinement - “the box” - as punishment. One man yelled a final promise to the guards: “We’ll get you in the morning, motherfuckers!” And so they did. The next morning a fight broke out, a strategically placed heavy metal bolt broke, tear-gas launchers and baseball helmets seized, and 40 guards taken hostage. It was September 9, 1971, and the Attica uprising had begun. Given the horrendous conditions in Attica, and the larger social and political context of the time, the uprising was less than a surprise for all involved. A year earlier, inmates at Auburn prison went on strike, and then took fifty hostages, to protest a number of abuses. All prisoners involved were mercilessly beaten by guards after Auburn was recaptured. In July, New York Correctio...