After 28 years
Attica settlement confirms gov't guilt
Special to Workers
World
Buffalo, N.Y.
After 28 years of litigation, a court settlement has finally
been reached in the Attica prisoners' lawsuit against New York
state. U.S. District Judge Michael A. Telesco has ordered that
former Attica inmates, victims of state-sponsored murder and
torture, be paid a total of $8 million. Their attorneys, who
had paid most of their own costs for nearly three decades of
litigation, are to receive another $4 million.
The heroic Sept. 9, 1971, uprising of the Attica prisoners,
who became known to the world as the "Attica Brothers," paved
the way for any prison reforms wrested from the government
since that date. The well-organized, unified and
precedent-setting rebellion of the inmates and its aftermath
focused attention on the hellish conditions in U.S. prisons for
many years.
Although often portrayed in the media as a wanton "riot" of
angry prisoners, the inmates' struggle was far from that. On
July 2, 1971, a representative grouping of prisoners, the
Attica Liberation Faction, had presented a "Manifesto of
Demands" to State Correction Commissioner Russell Oswald and
his boss, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller--of the super-rich oil
family. Inmates included a cover letter stating, "We are trying
to do this in a democratic fashion."
Oswald and Rockefeller did not act on this initial request.
The next month prisoners organized a silent memorial to mourn
the murder of George Jackson by California prison guards.
Justifiably angered by Jackson's murder and the state's
refusal to discuss prisoner demands, the Attica Brothers'
rebellion began to take shape.
Tired of beatings by guards, inhuman and unsanitary
conditions, poor medical care and indecent food, the inmates at
Attica captured world attention by taking over the prison's "D"
yard and holding 50 guards hostage. Hostages were brought into
the center of the yard, given food, water, medical treatment
and assigned protection by disciplined Muslim inmates.
The Brothers designated a leadership body. They issued 33
demands, many of which had been originally raised in the letter
to Oswald and Rockefeller. They also requested that observers
be brought in to help negotiate.
Workers World Party, represented by Tom Soto of the
Prisoners Solidarity Committee, was among those chosen by the
inmates as observers. Others included members of the Black
Panthers and Young Lords, New York State Assembly member Arthur
Eve, New York Times writer Tom Wicker and revolutionary lawyer
William Kunstler.
Simple democratic demands
Rebellion leader L.D. Barkeley, an eloquent spokesperson,
was televised around the world reading the prisoners' simple
demands for improved medical, legal and sanitary conditions.
They requested the right to unionize, highlighting the abuse of
inmates as slave laborers for various capitalist
industries.
Most jobs paid 25 cents per day. At that time, only two
part-time doctors provided care for the over 2,000 prisoners. A
thick wire screen was kept between doctor and patient.
The food budget provided only 65 cents a day for each
prisoner's meals. Muslims were told to eat pork or starve.
They had been treated worse than animals. Yet the Brothers
showed great organization and discipline during the takeover,
as was documented by the observers' committee. The elected
inmate leaders confiscated drug paraphernalia and barred any
fighting among the men or harm to the hostages. The leadership
committee was carefully chosen to include various races and
ethnicities, to reflect all prisoners' concerns.
It was just this level of organization and commitment that
frightened the ruling class. Rockefeller, who at that time had
presidential aspirations, was determined to quash the
rebellion. He never planned to negotiate seriously.
He delayed a full-scale assault for one day--not to
negotiate, but because advisors told him a Sunday massacre of
the inmates would cause more television publicity than one on a
Monday.
The blitzkrieg attack on the prisoners on "Black
Monday"--Sept. 13, 1971--has gone down as one of the most
brutal ever recorded in U.S. history. New York State Police and
National Guard troops murdered 29 inmates and 10 guards and
wounded 80 others.
Despite lies by the guards, autopsies and ballistics tests
showed all guard hostages were killed by the state's assault
and not by the Brothers.
While the $8 million now to be paid to the Attica Brothers
comes to only $6,250 per person, surviving leaders of the
rebellion see any award as a major concession by the
government. It was achieved through the tireless, 28-year-long
solidarity of the Brothers, their legal team and thousands of
supporters around the world.
The self-sacrificing attitude of the Attica heroes is
reflected best in the words of Frank ("Big Black") Smith, who
was awarded $4 million in a previous 1997 settlement, now
reversed: "Attica is not about money. It wasn't a rebellion
about money; it was a rebellion about conditions. I feel better
with the settlement than with having $4 million myself, because
now it's for everyone."
Smith's words exemplify the socialist spirit of the Attica
Rebellion and serve to inspire prisoners, their families and
supporters to continue the struggle to tear down the walls of
oppression.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page