“Attica” – The Trailer is Here!
The Attica prison riot/takeover lasted for 4 days beginning on September 9, 1971. Over 1,000 of the 2,000 prisoners rioted and took over the prison. When the siege ended 43 people were dead (10 correctional officers and 33 inmates). I was 12 years old at the time and remember being shocked at how long the takeover lasted. I’d be interested in seeing this Attica documentary.
Attica details the five-day prison rebellion that transpired in the fall of 1971 in upstate New York and still stands as the largest and deadliest the country has ever witnessed. More than a simple recounting of the five days of rebellion, ATTICA will also offer a broader understanding of the Attica tragedy in the crosscurrents of politics, race, power and punishment during the early 1970s. Through expert voices and archival images of urban and suburban life, the film explores the tensions between a young, radicalized population of mostly Black and Latino inmates, and correctional officers from a predominately white company town, where the Attica prison was the primary employer for generations of families. ATTICA examines inmates’ demands for recognition of their humanity at the culmination of a moment where racial justice activists embraced prisoner rights as an extension of their fight for civil rights. Premieres November 6 only on SHOWTIME.