It truly amazes me how much we do not know. Dr. Heather Ann Thompson, author of Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy, expressed the hidden story of a prison riot in Attica. I was torn between feelings of gratitude and outrage. Its times like these where outrage demands transparency and answers to question. Its times like these gratitude for reporters, journalist and authors to tell stories doesn’t come frequent enough.
Five days into a prison takeover by its 1,300 inmates, Attica Correctional Facility’s prisoners expected to end negotiations with New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller shortly, having made significant gains at the bargaining table. Especially since this prison takeout had captured the attention of news media outlets across the country, prisoners were confident they would begin to receive humane treatment while incarcerated.
When a helicopter flew over the yard at Attica, gases were dropped. The mixture of gases created a thick cloud in the prison compound yard, that it settled in the eyes and throats of the inmates. With oxygenated masked, armed forces executed a military style assault. Under the orders of Gov. Rockefeller, prisoners and prison officers were subjected to death, bloodshed, and torture at the hands of the government. Meanwhile, government spokesperson stood outside the prison lying to the American people and journalist. Still to this today, communities in the US believe that the prisoners were responsible for the deaths that day.
Throughout her presentation, Dr. Thompson kept emphasizing trends and patterns that lead up to a moment like Attica. At the time, there were immense challenge to the criminal justice system, yet a strong push for an increase in the police state.
One possible explanation was a response or backlash to the civil rights era. But for Dr. Thompson, that answer wasn’t enough. She wanted to know: what was stirring inside the hearts and minds of Americans that pushed them to begin a war on crime before there was a need? Why was all this occurring on the heels of protests, policy adjustments, and public debate?
As I start reflecting on the current cultural-political climate, I can’t help but think about how this moment in time is very much “on the heels of” too. Statistics will paint a picture of how black women are graduating at faster rates than any other demographic, unemployment is decreasing. Not to mention, social media is giving rise to new social movements and we have just witnessed the first black president leave office scandal-free. But, for many in the 1960s, they probably felt similarly – filled with hope and promise.
Walking away from this experience has emphasized the importance of pushing back on what the government has to say. But to watch the patterns of society. If history has taught me anything, it is that history repeats itself. I hope that my local and global contributions can shed light on injustice, in its ugliest forms.
Well said. This encouraged me to look further into the Attica prison riot, and what I read reminded me heavily of American attitudes and sentiments today.
For instance, Muslims were blamed for attempting to do harm to the hostages, but in fact they were actually trying to protect them from being harmed by vicious prisoners who wanted to harm them.
Indeed, history repeats itself. Often you see people say or do horrible things that people said or did over 40 years ago and wonder how society hasn’t advanced since then. But indeed, I think what you said about hope is important. There is hope. We are progressing. We may not always see it, but it’s there, and from time to time we should remember how far we’ve come.