The aftermath
"After the rebellion, a lot of us died, a lot of us were wounded. But none of us had any regrets because of what we did. As a matter of fact, if we had had another opportunity, we would have done it again and again. Because it was better than being treated like animals." ~Attica Inmate
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Muhammad Ali recites his original poem
about the Attica State Prison Riot. |
PROPAGANDA: NEW YORK SPLIT IN TWO
"The Atlanta Constitution, September 14, 1971
Editorial: Attica and Truth ". . .The animals at Attica, who cold-bloodedly slit the throats of eight hostages, and those who stood by and allowed it, left the prison authorities little choice but to use troops. They are outlaws in the truest sense of the word -- an abomination in the eyes of decent society and unable to accept the law's protection. . ." |
"The Los Angeles Times, September 17, 1971
Letter to the Editor "The slaughter authorized and perpetrated at Attica Prison by New York state correctional officials was merely symptomatic of America's ever-increasing reliance on institutionalized violence as the sole means of dealing with any type of domestic (or foreign) disorder . . . . . .That the lives of the hostages as well as the prisoners were in imminent danger if the prison was stormed was disregarded by New York officials in their zest to "restore law and order." Their rationalizing away the lives of 40-plus men with the retort "many others would have died if we hadn't acted" is analogous to the sardonic observation about "having to destroy the town in order to save it." |
A Nation outraged
After the riot, it ignited much controversy in the State New York. Some people believed that the inmates had nothing to do with the hostages' deaths. While many others believed the deaths occurred at the hands of the inmates. This was because reports from the state police made the inmates seem like monsters and cause citizens to despise them. Although many people blamed the inmates, there were others who believed that they were not at fault. They supported the prisoners and felt like they were doing the right thing; fighting for their rights. In response to the many questions regarding what really happened, The McKay Commission was established in 1972.
“The New York State Special Commission on Attica was created "for the purpose of investigating and reporting to our fellow citizens the facts and circumstances leading up to, during and after the events at the Attica correctional facility of September, 1971. I am Robert McKay. There are eight other members of the Commission . . .”
~Robert. McKay
“The New York State Special Commission on Attica was created "for the purpose of investigating and reporting to our fellow citizens the facts and circumstances leading up to, during and after the events at the Attica correctional facility of September, 1971. I am Robert McKay. There are eight other members of the Commission . . .”
~Robert. McKay
"IT WAS A beautiful operation, indeed!"
After the riot, Nelson Rockefeller praised the State Police for having done a "superb job” in his phone conversation with Richard Nixon. Many believe this was his attempt to win the Republican presidential nomination away from Richard Nixon and helped form his decision to unleash a massacre at Attica. |
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