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Something always
was ready to happen at Attica.
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The population was tired.
3
00:01:43,394 --> 00:01:46,523
Tired of lies, of promises.
4
00:01:49,150 --> 00:01:50,443
We were tired.
5
00:01:52,862 --> 00:01:55,615
Someone hit the guard.
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And after you hit a guard,
it's over.
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But then all hell broke loose.
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00:02:07,460 --> 00:02:08,962
I'm in the metal shop.
9
00:02:09,003 --> 00:02:10,922
We start hearing
these sirens going off.
10
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I said,
"Damn, what the hell is this?"
11
00:02:12,465 --> 00:02:13,758
I was in the shower.
12
00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,761
I came out, I'm soaking wet,
13
00:02:16,803 --> 00:02:18,179
and the place is going crazy.
14
00:02:18,221 --> 00:02:20,682
And all of a sudden,
15
00:02:20,723 --> 00:02:23,351
I seen the metal shop door open,
16
00:02:23,393 --> 00:02:25,645
and I seen guys come running
in there
17
00:02:25,687 --> 00:02:28,148
with great big pipes and knives.
18
00:02:28,189 --> 00:02:29,858
And before you knew it,
19
00:02:29,899 --> 00:02:31,651
everybody was running
all over the place.
20
00:02:31,693 --> 00:02:36,531
Then you started seeing
people sticking their faces
21
00:02:36,573 --> 00:02:39,534
through the broken windows
and saying,
22
00:02:39,576 --> 00:02:41,136
- "- Grab the guards!
- Grab the guards!
23
00:02:41,161 --> 00:02:42,954
- Grab the keys!
- Get the keys!"
24
00:02:42,996 --> 00:02:44,789
There's guards
that are getting beat up.
25
00:02:44,831 --> 00:02:48,209
Anybody that fell
in your hand that was part
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00:02:48,251 --> 00:02:51,087
of the administration
was gonna get a beatdown.
27
00:02:51,129 --> 00:02:54,424
Here's my opportunity to fight
those who beat me down now,
28
00:02:54,465 --> 00:02:57,177
'cause I'm with
a whole lot of killers now.
29
00:02:57,218 --> 00:02:58,887
It's us versus them.
30
00:02:58,928 --> 00:03:01,347
- I just jumped in there.
- I didn't plan anything.
31
00:03:01,389 --> 00:03:03,057
I wasn't that type of thinker.
32
00:03:03,099 --> 00:03:05,852
- I was kicking the police's ass.
- I felt good about it.
33
00:03:05,894 --> 00:03:07,395
It would have ended right there,
34
00:03:07,437 --> 00:03:09,063
because they were
in a confined area,
35
00:03:09,105 --> 00:03:12,734
locks on the block, locks here,
Times Square was locked,
36
00:03:12,775 --> 00:03:15,570
but the prisoners went back
towards Times Square
37
00:03:15,612 --> 00:03:18,573
and began to yank on the gates.
38
00:03:18,615 --> 00:03:22,410
All the four blocks
met at Times Square.
39
00:03:22,452 --> 00:03:25,079
In the context of the layout
of the prison,
40
00:03:25,121 --> 00:03:27,540
Times Square is the hub,
41
00:03:27,582 --> 00:03:30,043
the central hub of the prison.
42
00:03:33,755 --> 00:03:35,089
The morning of the riot,
43
00:03:35,131 --> 00:03:37,634
my father was in Times Square.
44
00:03:37,675 --> 00:03:40,970
He had keys
to all of the doorways,
45
00:03:41,012 --> 00:03:45,433
and unfortunately, the inmates
that were in A tunnel
46
00:03:45,475 --> 00:03:49,729
continued to push against, uh,
47
00:03:49,771 --> 00:03:50,980
that cell door,
48
00:03:51,022 --> 00:03:54,108
and they began yelling, um,
49
00:03:54,150 --> 00:03:57,153
for my dad to unlock the gate.
50
00:03:57,195 --> 00:04:00,615
As Quinn jumped back, I said,
"Oh, shit, this is..."
51
00:04:00,657 --> 00:04:03,743
and he hit that horn,
and the foghorn, like...
52
00:04:06,454 --> 00:04:09,207
And then they started banging
on the gate,
53
00:04:09,249 --> 00:04:11,042
banging on the gate,
banging on the gate.
54
00:04:11,084 --> 00:04:12,752
And unbeknownst to anybody,
55
00:04:12,794 --> 00:04:16,798
one of the hinges
has been welded together,
56
00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:19,634
kind of jury-rigged during
the construction in the 1930s.
57
00:04:19,676 --> 00:04:21,052
That weld broke.
58
00:04:21,094 --> 00:04:24,305
The lock just popped.
59
00:04:24,347 --> 00:04:26,307
And they rushed out. Boom.
60
00:04:26,349 --> 00:04:30,144
When the gate came down,
they attacked my father,
61
00:04:30,186 --> 00:04:31,813
and they took his keys,
62
00:04:31,854 --> 00:04:33,648
which, of course,
gave them access
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00:04:33,690 --> 00:04:36,651
to all of the doors
within Times Square.
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00:04:36,693 --> 00:04:39,654
Um, and he was beaten
very severely.
65
00:04:39,696 --> 00:04:41,531
I double back,
66
00:04:41,572 --> 00:04:44,909
and I put two knuckles
on Quinn's neck.
67
00:04:44,951 --> 00:04:48,121
I could feel a pulse,
but it was very faint.
68
00:04:48,162 --> 00:04:50,748
It was like a flutter,
69
00:04:50,790 --> 00:04:54,085
and a minute or two later,
another flutter.
70
00:04:54,127 --> 00:04:57,839
There were some inmates
that knew my dad,
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00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:01,801
four Muslim inmates who got
a mattress out of A block
72
00:05:01,843 --> 00:05:04,178
and put my dad on the mattress,
73
00:05:04,220 --> 00:05:08,850
and they brought him
from Times Square
74
00:05:08,891 --> 00:05:12,020
and told them that they have
a correction officer
75
00:05:12,061 --> 00:05:13,521
that has been badly injured,
76
00:05:13,563 --> 00:05:15,690
and he needs medical attention.
77
00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,862
At some point,
an ambulance did arrive.
78
00:05:20,903 --> 00:05:22,655
During that time,
my mother was notified
79
00:05:22,697 --> 00:05:24,365
that my father was injured.
80
00:05:27,493 --> 00:05:31,289
After they got Quinn's keys,
they opened up all four sides
81
00:05:31,331 --> 00:05:33,666
and said, "We got the joint."
82
00:05:33,708 --> 00:05:35,793
- And they hollered it.
- "We got the joint!"
83
00:05:43,009 --> 00:05:44,552
We took every block
in the joint.
84
00:05:44,594 --> 00:05:46,304
We took it.
85
00:05:46,346 --> 00:05:47,555
But we couldn't hold it.
86
00:05:49,390 --> 00:05:52,226
So we all retreated back
to D block.
87
00:05:56,898 --> 00:05:59,400
The place is blowing up.
88
00:05:59,442 --> 00:06:01,402
Smoke pouring
from five buildings,
89
00:06:01,444 --> 00:06:05,656
the prison chapel and laundry
gutted by flames.
90
00:06:05,698 --> 00:06:08,034
We only had control
of that yard.
91
00:06:08,076 --> 00:06:09,702
They had control of the system.
92
00:06:09,744 --> 00:06:13,331
They had control of the gates
and the doors and the walkways.
93
00:06:13,373 --> 00:06:15,583
They was up on the walkways
with guns,
94
00:06:15,625 --> 00:06:17,919
where they can watch you.
95
00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:22,423
I'm panning now from B block,
96
00:06:22,465 --> 00:06:25,259
taking in the group
on the roof of C block.
97
00:06:28,471 --> 00:06:31,891
Now D yard and D block
is coming into view.
98
00:06:31,933 --> 00:06:35,937
Shooting now
through the .270 rifle scope.
99
00:06:35,978 --> 00:06:40,149
And there is the ugliest,
Blackest Negro gentleman
100
00:06:40,191 --> 00:06:43,361
I've ever seen in my life.
101
00:06:43,403 --> 00:06:47,490
We knew they were
out there on the catwalks.
102
00:06:47,532 --> 00:06:51,285
They would position themselves
in a way...
103
00:06:51,327 --> 00:06:53,246
Although you knew
they were there,
104
00:06:53,287 --> 00:06:54,847
they positioned themselves
out of sight.
105
00:06:58,376 --> 00:07:00,086
Most of the prisoners
106
00:07:00,128 --> 00:07:02,880
have concealed their faces
by wearing scarves, towels,
107
00:07:02,922 --> 00:07:05,967
and what have you
over their faces.
108
00:07:06,008 --> 00:07:10,930
There was a way to guard your
identity from being exposed,
109
00:07:10,972 --> 00:07:13,975
and if they came in,
you know, you had protection.
110
00:07:14,016 --> 00:07:15,810
Or we thought we did.
111
00:07:22,942 --> 00:07:25,903
In Attica, New York,
about 1,000 long-term convicts
112
00:07:25,945 --> 00:07:27,447
today rioted,
and they gained control
113
00:07:27,488 --> 00:07:29,115
of the maximum security prison.
114
00:07:29,157 --> 00:07:31,742
They also seized 33 guards
as hostages
115
00:07:31,784 --> 00:07:33,453
and injured others
in the fighting.
116
00:07:33,494 --> 00:07:35,681
State police have regained
control of most of the prison,
117
00:07:35,705 --> 00:07:37,457
but the trouble isn't over yet.
118
00:07:40,501 --> 00:07:42,795
When we got
to D yard with the hostages,
119
00:07:42,837 --> 00:07:46,716
we hollered, "We got hostages!"
120
00:07:46,757 --> 00:07:50,928
And you had about
1,000 men shouting that out.
121
00:07:55,725 --> 00:07:58,811
You know, and the hostages
keep the police from coming
122
00:07:58,853 --> 00:08:00,104
and bapping on us.
123
00:08:00,146 --> 00:08:01,981
You gotta have hostages.
124
00:08:02,023 --> 00:08:04,775
That's the only...
That's your only leverage.
125
00:08:04,817 --> 00:08:08,279
As long as they had
the hostages...
126
00:08:08,321 --> 00:08:10,698
They didn't have guns,
and they didn't have this,
127
00:08:10,740 --> 00:08:13,367
and they didn't have that,
128
00:08:13,409 --> 00:08:18,331
but they had hostages,
and they're your people,
129
00:08:18,372 --> 00:08:21,959
and you're responsible
for your people.
130
00:08:22,001 --> 00:08:25,213
You're responsible
to protect your people
131
00:08:25,254 --> 00:08:28,549
and do your job.
132
00:08:28,591 --> 00:08:32,470
"Sit down. Negotiate with us."
133
00:08:32,512 --> 00:08:33,846
You're getting into the area
134
00:08:33,888 --> 00:08:37,475
where the 21 hostages
are being held.
135
00:08:37,517 --> 00:08:39,644
- They're in that main group.
- In the center.
136
00:08:39,685 --> 00:08:41,145
We can't distinguish them
137
00:08:41,187 --> 00:08:43,689
because the prisoners have taken
138
00:08:43,731 --> 00:08:46,192
their clothing away
and put prison clothes on.
139
00:08:48,319 --> 00:08:50,863
They were blindfolded
in a circle,
140
00:08:50,905 --> 00:08:52,073
in the middle of the yard.
141
00:08:52,114 --> 00:08:55,159
They also had guards,
inmate guards,
142
00:08:55,201 --> 00:08:57,578
that were around them,
protecting them.
143
00:08:59,330 --> 00:09:01,415
And we seen them as captives.
144
00:09:01,457 --> 00:09:03,918
We seen them as people
who were in...
145
00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:07,255
Under our supervision.
146
00:09:08,881 --> 00:09:10,633
So we couldn't do harm to them.
147
00:09:10,675 --> 00:09:14,554
My understanding of Islam was
that you don't harm a captive.
148
00:09:14,595 --> 00:09:19,600
Therefore, it was decided
149
00:09:19,642 --> 00:09:23,396
to allow the Muslim brothers
150
00:09:23,437 --> 00:09:25,106
to look out for them.
151
00:09:25,147 --> 00:09:28,109
I was so mad at them for not
letting us get to the police,
152
00:09:28,150 --> 00:09:29,944
because I wanted
to put my hands...
153
00:09:29,986 --> 00:09:31,404
I wanted to get
one or two of them
154
00:09:31,445 --> 00:09:33,030
and really fuck them up.
155
00:09:33,072 --> 00:09:35,825
These are the same police
that was talking down to me,
156
00:09:35,866 --> 00:09:37,285
dirty to me, and telling me,
157
00:09:37,326 --> 00:09:38,828
"Get over here,
do this, do that."
158
00:09:38,869 --> 00:09:40,722
So I said, "Yeah, now,
what do you think about me now?
159
00:09:40,746 --> 00:09:43,040
Yeah, yeah."
160
00:09:43,082 --> 00:09:44,875
And a good thing
that them Muslims was there,
161
00:09:44,917 --> 00:09:46,877
because a lot of them police
would have been hurt.
162
00:09:46,919 --> 00:09:48,296
Really hurt.
163
00:09:51,048 --> 00:09:52,925
It's hard for somebody
164
00:09:52,967 --> 00:09:56,971
that has never been
incarcerated to understand
165
00:09:57,013 --> 00:10:00,891
how surreal everything is
at this point in time.
166
00:10:00,933 --> 00:10:03,436
We had nobody threatening us.
167
00:10:03,477 --> 00:10:05,605
We had... you know,
it sounds crazy,
168
00:10:05,646 --> 00:10:08,065
but it was... when you had
a little bit of...
169
00:10:08,107 --> 00:10:09,668
Even this much control
over your own life,
170
00:10:09,692 --> 00:10:11,944
even for a short period,
171
00:10:11,986 --> 00:10:16,032
and you know it's gonna cost
you, you know, in spades,
172
00:10:16,073 --> 00:10:19,660
you know, it was a moment
of exuberation,
173
00:10:19,702 --> 00:10:23,539
of somehow doing something
174
00:10:23,581 --> 00:10:25,541
to have some control
over your own life.
175
00:10:42,975 --> 00:10:43,994
When you first got out there,
176
00:10:44,018 --> 00:10:46,187
it was total chaos.
177
00:10:46,228 --> 00:10:50,524
Guys are coming out with food,
clothing, setting up tents.
178
00:10:52,652 --> 00:10:55,696
- It was a festive time.
- We were free.
179
00:10:58,908 --> 00:11:01,827
We came together as a community.
180
00:11:01,869 --> 00:11:04,205
That's when there was not
such thing
181
00:11:04,246 --> 00:11:07,291
as Black, white, Hispanic,
or whatever.
182
00:11:07,333 --> 00:11:10,503
It was about we are inmates,
183
00:11:10,544 --> 00:11:14,173
and we need to be able
to survive whatever's going on.
184
00:11:14,215 --> 00:11:16,008
Power! Unity!
185
00:11:19,804 --> 00:11:21,889
Come on, 38.
186
00:11:21,931 --> 00:11:24,183
- Tell 'em we ain't dead.
- Tell 'em we ain't dead.
187
00:11:24,225 --> 00:11:25,559
Yeah, get all this here.
188
00:11:27,478 --> 00:11:29,355
Tell 'em we ain't dead.
189
00:11:29,397 --> 00:11:30,564
Ain't nothing dead about us.
190
00:11:30,606 --> 00:11:32,358
We ain't gonna die.
191
00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,193
- Nothing.
- We will not die in here.
192
00:11:37,279 --> 00:11:40,241
The guys
that had been to Vietnam,
193
00:11:40,282 --> 00:11:42,243
they said,
"Let's make hooches."
194
00:11:42,284 --> 00:11:45,329
Hooch was a tent.
195
00:11:45,371 --> 00:11:48,082
You took a stick,
and you put a sheet over it
196
00:11:48,124 --> 00:11:49,959
and pulled it back,
197
00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:51,919
and that was your
sleeping quarters.
198
00:11:55,256 --> 00:11:59,760
By the time guys started, uh,
199
00:11:59,802 --> 00:12:02,096
having to go to the bathrooms,
200
00:12:02,138 --> 00:12:04,348
it was... none were working.
201
00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:05,933
The guys that had been
to Vietnam
202
00:12:05,975 --> 00:12:07,685
and been in the army,
203
00:12:07,727 --> 00:12:10,104
they said,
"We gotta make a latrine."
204
00:12:10,146 --> 00:12:11,689
They knew what a latrine was.
205
00:12:11,731 --> 00:12:13,107
I didn't know
what a latrine was.
206
00:12:21,323 --> 00:12:22,700
Give him a little lap.
207
00:12:22,742 --> 00:12:24,410
All right, all right.
208
00:12:24,452 --> 00:12:26,620
Okay.
209
00:12:26,662 --> 00:12:30,124
There was this brother...
210
00:12:30,166 --> 00:12:31,000
And I say brother.
211
00:12:31,041 --> 00:12:32,501
He was white.
212
00:12:32,543 --> 00:12:35,129
His... they called him Tiny,
213
00:12:35,171 --> 00:12:36,797
and he was, like, a nurse
214
00:12:36,839 --> 00:12:38,799
before the Attica rebellion
happened.
215
00:12:40,968 --> 00:12:43,554
They set up the medical
section in the yard
216
00:12:43,596 --> 00:12:46,056
for anybody who had
any problems to go,
217
00:12:46,098 --> 00:12:48,934
and Tiny
would take care of them.
218
00:12:48,976 --> 00:12:53,314
And the medical attention
in the yard was much better
219
00:12:53,355 --> 00:12:55,515
than the medical attention
we got throughout the years.
220
00:12:57,651 --> 00:13:00,112
Oh, and we had a good time.
221
00:13:00,154 --> 00:13:03,324
We was making wine
and cooking food outside.
222
00:13:03,365 --> 00:13:06,118
It was like a big picnic,
like a shantytown.
223
00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:08,788
You know, like Deadwood
when, uh,
224
00:13:08,829 --> 00:13:10,664
when, uh, Buffalo Bill was out.
225
00:13:10,706 --> 00:13:13,667
You ever... you ever watch
Gunsmoke?
226
00:13:13,709 --> 00:13:15,669
The Western?
227
00:13:15,711 --> 00:13:19,799
Well, Matt Dillon
was the marshal of Gunsmoke.
228
00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:22,176
He kept order.
229
00:13:22,218 --> 00:13:25,638
In D yard,
we didn't have a Matt Dillon.
230
00:13:25,679 --> 00:13:29,850
Every man was a law
unto himself.
231
00:13:29,892 --> 00:13:32,686
You did whatever the hell
you wanted to do.
232
00:13:32,728 --> 00:13:35,022
And there was no order.
233
00:14:03,175 --> 00:14:05,094
The assignment editor says,
234
00:14:05,135 --> 00:14:07,721
"There's this place
called Attica,
235
00:14:07,763 --> 00:14:11,183
and there's some
prison riot up there,
236
00:14:11,225 --> 00:14:14,687
and we want you
to go up and do it.
237
00:14:14,728 --> 00:14:19,400
We're not sure about any
of what the details are,
238
00:14:19,441 --> 00:14:21,068
specifically."
239
00:14:21,110 --> 00:14:24,738
And all five went, uh,
240
00:14:24,780 --> 00:14:26,574
up to Buffalo,
241
00:14:26,615 --> 00:14:29,285
and then on to Attica.
242
00:14:35,291 --> 00:14:39,044
This is John Johnson,
ABC News, Attica, New York.
243
00:14:39,086 --> 00:14:43,048
It was just an extremely,
244
00:14:43,090 --> 00:14:45,259
uh, fluid situation,
245
00:14:45,301 --> 00:14:46,844
to say the least.
246
00:14:46,886 --> 00:14:49,388
And it was hard
to get information.
247
00:14:49,430 --> 00:14:51,432
I mean, we couldn't get inside,
248
00:14:51,473 --> 00:14:53,767
and all we heard was,
249
00:14:53,809 --> 00:14:57,813
these inmates want to talk,
and they have prisoners.
250
00:15:00,274 --> 00:15:04,111
And this was something
almost that had never happened
251
00:15:04,153 --> 00:15:07,531
in history,
this huge institution,
252
00:15:07,573 --> 00:15:09,658
where the inmates
had taken over.
253
00:15:09,700 --> 00:15:10,700
Oh, my goodness.
254
00:15:12,953 --> 00:15:14,246
"Attica, New York?
255
00:15:14,288 --> 00:15:15,557
I never heard of Attica,
New York.
256
00:15:15,581 --> 00:15:17,625
What's in Attica?"
257
00:15:17,666 --> 00:15:20,544
Quite frankly, I did not know
what to expect
258
00:15:20,586 --> 00:15:23,881
when I got to Attica.
259
00:15:23,923 --> 00:15:26,258
We parked right
in front of the prison.
260
00:15:26,300 --> 00:15:29,637
So consequently, we just set up
261
00:15:29,678 --> 00:15:32,056
and started filming
262
00:15:32,097 --> 00:15:34,391
as much as we possibly could
263
00:15:34,433 --> 00:15:38,395
of the activities
outside of the prison.
264
00:15:38,437 --> 00:15:41,190
We had no idea
what was happening inside.
265
00:15:41,231 --> 00:15:43,192
Your instructions are
266
00:15:43,233 --> 00:15:45,819
that your weapon
is not to be taken,
267
00:15:45,861 --> 00:15:47,863
nor are you to be taken.
268
00:15:47,905 --> 00:15:50,407
You're to meet force with force.
269
00:15:50,449 --> 00:15:52,576
There have been
some of the prison personnel
270
00:15:52,618 --> 00:15:55,371
severely injured here
this morning,
271
00:15:55,412 --> 00:15:58,457
and we certainly don't want
to see any of our people hurt.
272
00:16:00,417 --> 00:16:02,878
The state police officers
273
00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:07,299
were being handed out weapons.
274
00:16:07,341 --> 00:16:10,552
They were making sure
they had gas masks.
275
00:16:10,594 --> 00:16:14,181
It looked to me like
they were ready to go in
276
00:16:14,223 --> 00:16:16,600
and retake the prison.
277
00:16:16,642 --> 00:16:18,268
Sir, are there any circumstances
278
00:16:18,310 --> 00:16:19,687
might you go inside?
279
00:16:19,728 --> 00:16:21,313
Pardon me?
280
00:16:21,355 --> 00:16:23,041
Might you go inside
under some circumstances?
281
00:16:23,065 --> 00:16:25,359
- Well, one doesn't know.
- I'll have to feel this out.
282
00:16:25,401 --> 00:16:26,860
Have the inmates
made any demands?
283
00:16:26,902 --> 00:16:28,338
Do the prisoners want to meet
with you, sir?
284
00:16:28,362 --> 00:16:29,965
I don't know, they say that
they only want to speak
285
00:16:29,989 --> 00:16:31,949
with the governor or me.
286
00:16:31,991 --> 00:16:34,868
There seemed to be some sense,
at the time,
287
00:16:34,910 --> 00:16:39,248
that we're going to have
to negotiate something
288
00:16:39,289 --> 00:16:42,418
to save the lives
of the hostages.
289
00:16:42,459 --> 00:16:47,047
Because of the hostages
that they have,
290
00:16:47,089 --> 00:16:51,927
there's a possibility
that negotiations will begin.
291
00:16:56,223 --> 00:16:59,018
We're looking at a man
292
00:16:59,059 --> 00:17:02,730
using a loudspeaker, a bullhorn.
293
00:17:07,443 --> 00:17:10,404
There appears to be a large
meeting going on in this area,
294
00:17:10,446 --> 00:17:12,239
although we can't hear anything
295
00:17:12,281 --> 00:17:14,408
from that section.
296
00:17:18,871 --> 00:17:20,831
The inmates decided
that, you know,
297
00:17:20,873 --> 00:17:23,625
they're in a situation
that, you know,
298
00:17:23,667 --> 00:17:26,670
that required
a little bit more focus,
299
00:17:26,712 --> 00:17:28,172
a little bit more discipline.
300
00:17:29,631 --> 00:17:30,924
We asked the population,
301
00:17:30,966 --> 00:17:33,761
"Who do you want
to represent you?"
302
00:17:33,802 --> 00:17:35,888
Legal prosecution of any kind!
303
00:17:35,929 --> 00:17:38,974
We had elections block by block.
304
00:17:39,016 --> 00:17:42,519
That's where we got
our leaders from.
305
00:17:42,561 --> 00:17:46,523
Now, some guys had some juice
in there already.
306
00:17:46,565 --> 00:17:48,776
The guys that had
been there a while,
307
00:17:48,817 --> 00:17:52,738
who other inmates respected.
308
00:17:52,780 --> 00:17:54,073
What they were saying made sense
309
00:17:54,114 --> 00:17:57,159
to most everybody
that was in that yard.
310
00:17:57,201 --> 00:17:59,119
They had a plan.
311
00:17:59,161 --> 00:18:01,121
And they had a plan about
making things different
312
00:18:01,163 --> 00:18:03,916
for the prison system itself.
313
00:18:03,957 --> 00:18:06,502
All we wanted
is the basic necessities
314
00:18:06,543 --> 00:18:09,004
of being treated
like human beings.
315
00:18:09,046 --> 00:18:10,255
Even though we're in prison,
316
00:18:10,297 --> 00:18:11,857
we're human beings,
and stuff like that.
317
00:18:15,302 --> 00:18:19,098
The prisoners in the yard
must have had a radio.
318
00:18:19,139 --> 00:18:21,975
They heard I was outside.
319
00:18:22,017 --> 00:18:24,728
So they asked for me to come in.
320
00:18:24,770 --> 00:18:27,147
I said, "Sure."
321
00:18:27,189 --> 00:18:29,608
And they then said,
322
00:18:29,650 --> 00:18:32,611
"We would like Commissioner
Oswald to come in."
323
00:18:32,653 --> 00:18:36,281
And some of his assistants said,
324
00:18:36,323 --> 00:18:38,492
"Don't go. Don't go.
325
00:18:38,534 --> 00:18:41,578
They'll... you can't trust them."
326
00:18:41,620 --> 00:18:44,456
And Oswald said, "Well,
of course I'm gonna go in."
327
00:18:46,041 --> 00:18:47,543
We are glad to have someone
328
00:18:47,584 --> 00:18:50,504
from the administration,
point blank, coming in.
329
00:18:52,589 --> 00:18:53,608
We making some kind of headway.
330
00:18:53,632 --> 00:18:54,800
We getting here.
331
00:18:54,842 --> 00:18:56,760
We got some contact
with somebody.
332
00:18:56,802 --> 00:18:59,304
- We got some negotiations.
- You're listening to us.
333
00:18:59,346 --> 00:19:01,723
I've never heard of this before,
334
00:19:01,765 --> 00:19:04,643
negotiating with inmates,
335
00:19:04,685 --> 00:19:08,772
and I just assumed
336
00:19:08,814 --> 00:19:12,943
that this was going to be
a landmark moment
337
00:19:12,985 --> 00:19:14,778
in American history.
338
00:19:14,820 --> 00:19:19,199
I thought that this
was going to be negotiated
339
00:19:19,241 --> 00:19:20,576
to a decent humanitarian end.
340
00:19:23,704 --> 00:19:27,583
It seems to be a little
misunderstanding about why
341
00:19:27,624 --> 00:19:29,668
this incident developed
here at Attica,
342
00:19:29,710 --> 00:19:32,838
and this declaration here
will explain the reasons.
343
00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,007
The entire incident
344
00:19:35,048 --> 00:19:38,552
that has erupted here
at Attica is not a result...
345
00:19:43,182 --> 00:19:45,267
There are college towns,
and there's factory towns...
346
00:19:45,309 --> 00:19:47,227
There's all kinds of towns
in this country,
347
00:19:47,269 --> 00:19:49,062
and this is Attica, New York.
348
00:19:49,104 --> 00:19:50,314
It's a prison town.
349
00:19:52,858 --> 00:19:54,151
Most of the people
350
00:19:54,193 --> 00:19:55,986
in the village of Attica
make their living
351
00:19:56,028 --> 00:19:58,071
working at the state prison.
352
00:19:59,656 --> 00:20:01,408
For 40 years, most have lived
353
00:20:01,450 --> 00:20:03,827
within sight
of the prison walls.
354
00:20:03,869 --> 00:20:05,245
They have never feared it.
355
00:20:10,209 --> 00:20:13,712
The village of Attica
was a great place to live.
356
00:20:13,754 --> 00:20:16,673
It was very typical,
357
00:20:16,715 --> 00:20:19,051
I think, small town,
358
00:20:19,092 --> 00:20:22,429
where you knew everyone.
359
00:20:22,471 --> 00:20:24,932
You were related to probably
half of the town.
360
00:20:27,476 --> 00:20:29,686
We'd ride our bikes
through town,
361
00:20:29,728 --> 00:20:31,313
we'd go to the park,
we'd go swimming
362
00:20:31,355 --> 00:20:33,065
at the public pool,
363
00:20:33,106 --> 00:20:35,609
we'd go hiking up in the woods.
364
00:20:39,404 --> 00:20:42,532
Attica is a company town.
365
00:20:42,574 --> 00:20:45,035
Many of the people
who work there
366
00:20:45,077 --> 00:20:46,703
and had lived in our town
367
00:20:46,745 --> 00:20:48,705
worked as either
civilian employees
368
00:20:48,747 --> 00:20:52,459
or corrections officers
at Attica.
369
00:20:52,501 --> 00:20:56,129
My grandfather worked there,
370
00:20:56,171 --> 00:20:59,258
my dad worked there,
371
00:20:59,299 --> 00:21:01,802
and between six or eight
of the houses
372
00:21:01,843 --> 00:21:03,470
that were on our street
373
00:21:03,512 --> 00:21:06,306
had correction officers
or civilian individuals
374
00:21:06,348 --> 00:21:08,058
working in them
with their families.
375
00:21:12,646 --> 00:21:15,607
These were
the only jobs in the area.
376
00:21:15,649 --> 00:21:18,986
Dairy farming and the prison.
377
00:21:19,027 --> 00:21:22,531
So there was this culture clash
that came together at Attica.
378
00:21:22,572 --> 00:21:26,493
You had all white guards
379
00:21:26,535 --> 00:21:29,288
and a population of prisoners
380
00:21:29,329 --> 00:21:31,832
that was 70 or more percent
381
00:21:31,873 --> 00:21:34,543
Black and brown.
382
00:21:34,584 --> 00:21:36,211
What could go wrong?
383
00:21:41,133 --> 00:21:43,927
Attica's reputation
was called "the last stop."
384
00:21:43,969 --> 00:21:46,346
This was the most strict prison
in the state of New York.
385
00:21:46,388 --> 00:21:47,639
It was known.
386
00:21:47,681 --> 00:21:49,766
The word was there
that when you got there,
387
00:21:49,808 --> 00:21:51,143
you know what you was in for.
388
00:21:51,184 --> 00:21:53,520
A hard place. The last place.
389
00:21:53,562 --> 00:21:56,356
- The last place.
- Attica was the last place.
390
00:21:56,398 --> 00:21:58,191
That was... that was the last...
391
00:21:58,233 --> 00:22:00,986
And you had to really be there
to see why.
392
00:22:01,028 --> 00:22:04,323
There was no Black guards
in Attica.
393
00:22:04,364 --> 00:22:07,701
- There was no Spanish guards.
- They were all white.
394
00:22:07,743 --> 00:22:10,954
People, man, that come
from the local neighborhoods,
395
00:22:10,996 --> 00:22:15,000
that don't know nothing about
people who come from Brooklyn,
396
00:22:15,042 --> 00:22:18,712
people who come from Manhattan,
people who come from The Bronx.
397
00:22:18,754 --> 00:22:21,548
They don't know nothing
about this culture.
398
00:22:21,590 --> 00:22:24,301
Most of them don't even
want to talk to you.
399
00:22:24,343 --> 00:22:25,302
They're you giving you
the straight...
400
00:22:25,344 --> 00:22:27,054
"Don't talk to me."
401
00:22:27,095 --> 00:22:29,222
- And it was like that.
- "Don't talk to me."
402
00:22:29,264 --> 00:22:31,892
They would hit that stick... bop.
403
00:22:31,933 --> 00:22:35,729
And this is a metal...
A metal-tipped stick,
404
00:22:35,771 --> 00:22:37,856
and it rings out, and it... bop.
405
00:22:37,898 --> 00:22:39,524
And you walk.
406
00:22:39,566 --> 00:22:42,861
And then when they want you
to stop, they say bop-bop.
407
00:22:42,903 --> 00:22:44,905
That was their communication.
408
00:22:44,946 --> 00:22:47,616
The only thing was right
was being white.
409
00:22:47,657 --> 00:22:49,826
And I mean that
in all sincerity.
410
00:22:49,868 --> 00:22:51,912
Everybody was sort of, like,
411
00:22:51,953 --> 00:22:53,580
not so much mixing
with other cultures,
412
00:22:53,622 --> 00:22:57,667
but staying together
for the purpose of...
413
00:22:57,709 --> 00:22:59,336
survival.
414
00:22:59,378 --> 00:23:02,881
I was white,
so I got the best jobs.
415
00:23:02,923 --> 00:23:05,926
I was always given
a little bit more leeway
416
00:23:05,967 --> 00:23:07,469
than the Blacks.
417
00:23:09,262 --> 00:23:11,932
I could get an extra meal
if I wanted one,
418
00:23:11,973 --> 00:23:14,434
because I was a white guy.
419
00:23:14,476 --> 00:23:15,769
"I'm a white guy.
420
00:23:15,811 --> 00:23:17,396
You know,
give me a little extra."
421
00:23:17,437 --> 00:23:19,189
And I got it.
422
00:23:19,231 --> 00:23:23,777
I always was able to manipulate
the system inside the prison
423
00:23:23,819 --> 00:23:25,570
because I was a white guy.
424
00:23:25,612 --> 00:23:27,864
I'm almost ashamed to say
425
00:23:27,906 --> 00:23:30,450
that I took advantage
of that back then.
426
00:23:30,492 --> 00:23:33,078
But it was the only way
to survive.
427
00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:34,329
It really, really was.
428
00:23:45,132 --> 00:23:46,758
A roll of toilet paper
429
00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:49,845
would have to last you a month.
430
00:23:49,886 --> 00:23:52,597
You have to be a magician
or tear up papers out of,
431
00:23:52,639 --> 00:23:54,182
you know,
the books and stuff like that
432
00:23:54,224 --> 00:23:55,451
to wipe your behind
and stuff like that.
433
00:23:55,475 --> 00:23:57,477
Guys were complaining
about basic things,
434
00:23:57,519 --> 00:24:01,690
like toothpaste, toilet paper,
435
00:24:01,731 --> 00:24:05,527
a change of sheets
more than once a month,
436
00:24:05,569 --> 00:24:08,655
things like that...
Clothes being cleaned,
437
00:24:08,697 --> 00:24:10,157
personal hygiene things,
438
00:24:10,198 --> 00:24:11,658
being treated like human beings.
439
00:24:13,952 --> 00:24:17,414
- No school program.
- Attica was...
440
00:24:17,456 --> 00:24:20,167
- I can't describe it.
- I mean...
441
00:24:20,208 --> 00:24:21,626
it was dead.
442
00:24:21,668 --> 00:24:22,878
It was just dead.
443
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:28,675
There was no religious freedom,
444
00:24:28,717 --> 00:24:30,302
particularly for
445
00:24:30,343 --> 00:24:32,512
the burgeoning Muslim movement.
446
00:24:32,554 --> 00:24:36,349
They were denied
the right to worship.
447
00:24:36,391 --> 00:24:39,936
They were fed pork because
the prison also had a farm
448
00:24:39,978 --> 00:24:42,981
where they raised pigs,
so that's what you got.
449
00:24:43,982 --> 00:24:46,234
They fed us on 63¢ a day,
450
00:24:46,276 --> 00:24:48,153
so that's 21¢ a meal.
451
00:24:48,195 --> 00:24:51,072
How can you feed somebody
on 21¢?
452
00:24:54,284 --> 00:24:58,622
I swear to God, one time I got
my head opened up by a guard,
453
00:24:58,663 --> 00:25:01,958
and I was put
into a segregation cell.
454
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:03,585
And the doctor came,
455
00:25:03,627 --> 00:25:07,255
you know, just out of...
I was bleeding all over.
456
00:25:07,297 --> 00:25:09,341
So I said, "I got a...
They cracked my head.
457
00:25:09,382 --> 00:25:11,426
It's wide open."
458
00:25:11,468 --> 00:25:12,802
He says, "Put it over here."
459
00:25:12,844 --> 00:25:16,848
They had a feeding hole
in the cell.
460
00:25:16,890 --> 00:25:19,392
So I put it there,
and he put a flashlight like...
461
00:25:19,434 --> 00:25:21,895
I swear to God, he hit me
with the fucking flashlight,
462
00:25:21,937 --> 00:25:24,064
right where the cut was...
463
00:25:26,233 --> 00:25:27,567
and walked away.
464
00:25:32,739 --> 00:25:34,407
They wait until everybody's
465
00:25:34,449 --> 00:25:36,743
locked up at night,
and then they come for you.
466
00:25:36,785 --> 00:25:39,037
Come for you as a goon squad.
467
00:25:41,122 --> 00:25:44,292
These are the beat-up police.
468
00:25:44,334 --> 00:25:47,629
These the guys,
they come nine, ten deep.
469
00:25:47,671 --> 00:25:51,341
Real big guys
with real big sticks.
470
00:25:51,383 --> 00:25:53,969
Then they come in, and they
beat you up in your cell,
471
00:25:54,010 --> 00:25:55,762
and then they take you
to segregation,
472
00:25:55,804 --> 00:25:57,347
and sometimes,
you don't come back.
473
00:25:57,389 --> 00:25:58,723
Attica was...
474
00:26:05,188 --> 00:26:06,940
Fear.
475
00:26:06,982 --> 00:26:10,193
They ran the prison with fear.
476
00:26:10,235 --> 00:26:12,571
Being scared of them
was their means
477
00:26:12,612 --> 00:26:13,989
of running the prison.
478
00:26:18,702 --> 00:26:19,953
You either shut your mouth,
479
00:26:19,995 --> 00:26:21,788
or you were in big trouble.
480
00:26:23,248 --> 00:26:25,959
Some people died.
481
00:26:26,001 --> 00:26:27,794
Some were crippled.
482
00:26:27,836 --> 00:26:30,463
Some were psychologically
damaged for life.
483
00:26:33,633 --> 00:26:37,304
And, uh,
it was a bad place to be.
484
00:26:43,727 --> 00:26:47,439
They wanted to institute
and instill that fear
485
00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,108
and that they were in control,
486
00:26:50,150 --> 00:26:52,652
even though they knew
they were losing control.
487
00:26:55,363 --> 00:26:57,115
My generation
that came into Attica,
488
00:26:57,157 --> 00:26:59,242
at that time,
489
00:26:59,284 --> 00:27:01,411
we felt that we wasn't broken.
490
00:27:01,453 --> 00:27:03,705
In other words,
we wasn't shuffling our feet.
491
00:27:03,747 --> 00:27:06,166
We would walk
with our heads up high.
492
00:27:06,207 --> 00:27:08,043
We would talk in our own lingo.
493
00:27:08,084 --> 00:27:10,378
- We was rebellious.
- That's all.
494
00:27:10,420 --> 00:27:12,130
We wasn't gonna take nothing
from nobody.
495
00:27:13,256 --> 00:27:14,674
We wanted respect.
496
00:27:16,801 --> 00:27:20,055
You had to give it to us,
whether you wanted to or not.
497
00:27:20,096 --> 00:27:21,473
I'd read Eldridge Cleaver's
498
00:27:21,514 --> 00:27:23,725
Soul on Ice, Huey Newton,
499
00:27:23,767 --> 00:27:25,435
and, you know,
the Panther Party,
500
00:27:25,477 --> 00:27:27,395
and the George Jackson story.
501
00:27:27,437 --> 00:27:28,980
I read all that stuff.
502
00:27:29,022 --> 00:27:30,815
George Jackson
was a revolutionary.
503
00:27:30,857 --> 00:27:33,652
He's the guy that got busted
for a ten dollar, uh,
504
00:27:33,693 --> 00:27:36,529
gas station robbery
and got life.
505
00:27:36,571 --> 00:27:39,240
He ended up in the system,
in the Soledad prison.
506
00:27:39,282 --> 00:27:43,620
He showed us... and I mean "us,"
507
00:27:43,662 --> 00:27:46,373
the younger guys
that came into Attica...
508
00:27:46,414 --> 00:27:49,501
That it was okay to say no.
509
00:27:49,542 --> 00:27:53,046
It was okay to be rebellious.
510
00:27:53,088 --> 00:27:55,507
Understand,
there may be consequences
511
00:27:55,548 --> 00:27:58,093
to saying no,
512
00:27:58,134 --> 00:28:00,095
but it was okay.
513
00:28:00,136 --> 00:28:02,097
And it was uplifting.
514
00:28:02,138 --> 00:28:04,224
It was uplifting.
515
00:28:04,265 --> 00:28:06,726
I think racism
is a control device,
516
00:28:06,768 --> 00:28:08,937
control mechanism.
517
00:28:08,978 --> 00:28:12,524
Create an atmosphere
whereby they can control you.
518
00:28:12,565 --> 00:28:16,403
Of course, here in prison,
we see the repression,
519
00:28:16,444 --> 00:28:18,363
the exploitation,
520
00:28:18,405 --> 00:28:21,533
the victimization of, uh,
521
00:28:21,574 --> 00:28:23,410
lower-class peoples.
522
00:28:24,869 --> 00:28:26,287
A lot of Black Panthers
523
00:28:26,329 --> 00:28:28,206
were coming into the prison.
524
00:28:28,248 --> 00:28:29,708
I started hanging out with them,
525
00:28:29,749 --> 00:28:32,210
and they politicized me.
526
00:28:32,252 --> 00:28:33,729
The Black Panther Party
for Self-Defense
527
00:28:33,753 --> 00:28:35,922
calls upon the American people
in general
528
00:28:35,964 --> 00:28:37,632
and the Black people
in particular
529
00:28:37,674 --> 00:28:40,885
to take careful note
of the racist police agencies
530
00:28:40,927 --> 00:28:43,847
throughout the country
are intensifying the terror,
531
00:28:43,888 --> 00:28:46,766
brutality, murder,
and repression of Black people.
532
00:28:46,808 --> 00:28:48,560
Of course,
you had the Black Muslims,
533
00:28:48,601 --> 00:28:51,479
and his message to a Black man
534
00:28:51,521 --> 00:28:55,567
really awoke a lot of guys
that were in jail.
535
00:28:55,608 --> 00:28:57,485
We want one thing!
536
00:28:57,527 --> 00:29:01,573
We declare our right
on this Earth to be a man,
537
00:29:01,614 --> 00:29:03,450
to be a human being,
538
00:29:03,491 --> 00:29:05,535
to be respected
as a human being,
539
00:29:05,577 --> 00:29:07,871
to be given the rights
of a human being
540
00:29:07,912 --> 00:29:11,207
in this society,
on this Earth, in this day,
541
00:29:11,249 --> 00:29:13,752
which we intend
to bring into existence
542
00:29:13,793 --> 00:29:16,629
by any means necessary!
543
00:29:21,217 --> 00:29:22,719
Officials at California's
544
00:29:22,761 --> 00:29:24,554
San Quentin Prison
still are trying
545
00:29:24,596 --> 00:29:27,015
to piece together
exactly what happened and how
546
00:29:27,056 --> 00:29:29,225
in that attempted
prison break yesterday
547
00:29:29,267 --> 00:29:32,395
in which three convicts
and three guards died.
548
00:29:32,437 --> 00:29:34,731
One of the dead convicts
was George Jackson
549
00:29:34,773 --> 00:29:36,900
of the self-styled
Soledad Brothers.
550
00:29:36,941 --> 00:29:38,985
Jackson was 29.
551
00:29:39,027 --> 00:29:40,987
George Jackson
was that final straw to say,
552
00:29:41,029 --> 00:29:42,697
"I don't give a fuck no more.
553
00:29:42,739 --> 00:29:44,783
- They're gonna kill us anyway.
- We can't get out.
554
00:29:44,824 --> 00:29:47,160
We're in this fucking cage,
so where we going at?
555
00:29:47,202 --> 00:29:49,996
So if we gonna die,
let's die as men."
556
00:29:50,038 --> 00:29:51,664
And brothers
just got frustrated.
557
00:29:55,460 --> 00:29:59,964
We'd go into the mess hall
with a Black band on your arm
558
00:30:00,006 --> 00:30:01,174
and just sit there.
559
00:30:01,216 --> 00:30:03,301
Take a spoon when you come in.
560
00:30:03,343 --> 00:30:05,053
Take no food.
561
00:30:05,094 --> 00:30:09,349
We didn't speak
during the whole time,
562
00:30:09,390 --> 00:30:11,684
and we didn't pick up any food.
563
00:30:12,268 --> 00:30:15,313
That, I think,
kind of alerted the institution
564
00:30:15,355 --> 00:30:18,733
that we was in solidarity.
565
00:30:18,775 --> 00:30:22,737
They'd probably never seen
that type of solidarity before.
566
00:30:29,828 --> 00:30:34,499
There was a lot of talk
discussing the situation,
567
00:30:34,541 --> 00:30:38,711
because the inmates
were very upset,
568
00:30:38,753 --> 00:30:41,422
and things were happening there,
569
00:30:41,464 --> 00:30:45,218
and there was great concern.
570
00:30:45,260 --> 00:30:47,303
It was a time bomb
ready to blow,
571
00:30:47,345 --> 00:30:49,722
and we lived with it
every day in my house,
572
00:30:49,764 --> 00:30:52,058
and every day,
I said good-bye to my dad,
573
00:30:52,100 --> 00:30:54,394
and I knew it might be
the last day I saw him.
574
00:30:54,435 --> 00:30:56,437
It was open conversation.
575
00:31:01,025 --> 00:31:02,694
Things were getting worse.
576
00:31:02,735 --> 00:31:05,738
And so they had a meeting
with the administration,
577
00:31:05,780 --> 00:31:07,574
and the administration
essentially dismissed
578
00:31:07,615 --> 00:31:11,911
their concerns and said,
"Everybody back to work.
579
00:31:11,953 --> 00:31:13,913
However, we think
maybe it's a good idea
580
00:31:13,955 --> 00:31:15,748
if you left your personal
belongings at home,
581
00:31:15,790 --> 00:31:18,084
like wedding rings,
wallets, et cetera."
582
00:31:18,126 --> 00:31:21,713
So my father absolutely knew
that something was going on.
583
00:31:21,754 --> 00:31:24,716
I was having breakfast with him
and he was talking to me.
584
00:31:24,757 --> 00:31:26,634
And I knew he was nervous.
585
00:31:26,676 --> 00:31:28,153
But he said,
"Something's gonna happen."
586
00:31:28,177 --> 00:31:30,638
He said, "I just don't know
what or when.
587
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:32,473
But I think I'll be okay."
588
00:31:36,769 --> 00:31:41,399
There was a fight
in A yard on September 8th.
589
00:31:41,441 --> 00:31:42,585
And the guards promised
nothing would happen
590
00:31:42,609 --> 00:31:43,985
as a result of this,
591
00:31:44,027 --> 00:31:47,530
because they could feel
the tension building up.
592
00:31:47,572 --> 00:31:49,782
Then that night,
they broke that promise.
593
00:31:49,824 --> 00:31:52,994
They came and pulled them
out of the cells, and...
594
00:31:53,036 --> 00:31:56,456
About three or four of them,
and then...
595
00:31:58,583 --> 00:32:00,084
Then we started throwing bottles
596
00:32:00,126 --> 00:32:01,753
or whatever glass
they may have had,
597
00:32:01,794 --> 00:32:03,546
or cans, or whatever
they may have had,
598
00:32:03,588 --> 00:32:05,590
and it was a disturbance,
that there.
599
00:32:05,632 --> 00:32:08,426
So the inmates decided
at that moment,
600
00:32:08,468 --> 00:32:10,929
- "- Man, this is it, man.
- We tired.
601
00:32:10,970 --> 00:32:12,388
I mean, they killed
George Jackson.
602
00:32:12,430 --> 00:32:13,616
They did this
throughout the years.
603
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:14,891
We tired."
604
00:32:14,933 --> 00:32:16,601
You know? And they went off.
605
00:32:27,028 --> 00:32:29,614
I was in school that day,
606
00:32:29,656 --> 00:32:33,368
and the whistle from the prison
just kept going,
607
00:32:33,409 --> 00:32:35,328
and we could hear it.
608
00:32:35,370 --> 00:32:37,705
We got calls
from somebody from the prison
609
00:32:37,747 --> 00:32:39,165
saying that "Your dad, you know,
610
00:32:39,207 --> 00:32:40,750
is definitely being held."
611
00:32:40,792 --> 00:32:43,127
- You know, I was scared.
- I was worried for my dad.
612
00:32:43,169 --> 00:32:44,921
I loved my dad.
613
00:32:44,963 --> 00:32:48,925
But we didn't really know
what was going on.
614
00:32:48,967 --> 00:32:50,426
It seems to be
615
00:32:50,468 --> 00:32:53,221
a little misunderstanding
about why
616
00:32:53,262 --> 00:32:55,431
this incident developed
here at Attica,
617
00:32:55,473 --> 00:32:58,309
and this declaration here
will explain the reasons.
618
00:32:58,351 --> 00:33:03,022
The entire incident
that has erupted here at Attica
619
00:33:03,064 --> 00:33:05,858
is not a result
of the dastardly bushwhacking
620
00:33:05,900 --> 00:33:10,363
of the two prisoners
September 8th of 1971,
621
00:33:10,405 --> 00:33:12,657
but of the unmitigated
oppression
622
00:33:12,699 --> 00:33:14,826
wrought by the racist
administrative network
623
00:33:14,867 --> 00:33:17,370
of this prison
throughout the years.
624
00:33:17,412 --> 00:33:19,205
We want the governor
to guarantee
625
00:33:19,247 --> 00:33:21,499
that there will be no reprisals,
626
00:33:21,541 --> 00:33:24,127
and we want all facets
of the media
627
00:33:24,168 --> 00:33:26,546
to articulate this.
628
00:33:26,587 --> 00:33:29,215
We needed the media in there
because we needed
629
00:33:29,257 --> 00:33:31,884
to let the world know
what was happening.
630
00:33:33,594 --> 00:33:36,389
This is one
of the turning points
631
00:33:36,431 --> 00:33:37,724
in the whole thing.
632
00:33:40,643 --> 00:33:42,979
We would like the press
to come in,
633
00:33:43,021 --> 00:33:46,441
including
the television cameras.
634
00:33:48,067 --> 00:33:51,237
That transformed everything...
635
00:33:53,281 --> 00:33:57,243
because now the prisoners
had a worldwide audience.
636
00:33:59,495 --> 00:34:02,040
Whatever happens here
at Attica State Prison...
637
00:34:02,081 --> 00:34:03,875
I'm not sure how they heard
638
00:34:03,916 --> 00:34:07,336
that there was
a Black journalist outside,
639
00:34:07,378 --> 00:34:10,256
that they wanted me
640
00:34:10,298 --> 00:34:14,427
to be on the group
that went in with Oswald.
641
00:34:14,469 --> 00:34:17,513
Suddenly, I'm on...
In this group,
642
00:34:17,555 --> 00:34:19,724
going into the prison,
643
00:34:19,766 --> 00:34:23,728
with this head
of the prison system.
644
00:34:23,770 --> 00:34:27,607
I was surprised that
they had asked for me.
645
00:34:27,648 --> 00:34:30,276
But I guess because of the fact
646
00:34:30,318 --> 00:34:33,362
that they had watched the news,
647
00:34:33,404 --> 00:34:36,365
my reports were factual,
648
00:34:36,407 --> 00:34:40,119
and I was not
taking anybody's side
649
00:34:40,161 --> 00:34:41,454
in the whole thing.
650
00:34:44,123 --> 00:34:46,042
We went in,
651
00:34:46,084 --> 00:34:50,671
and it was completely surreal.
652
00:34:50,713 --> 00:34:53,508
Like, you're walking
down a tunnel,
653
00:34:53,549 --> 00:34:57,678
and suddenly,
you walk into this huge yard
654
00:34:57,720 --> 00:34:59,931
where there are men everywhere...
655
00:34:59,972 --> 00:35:03,267
Like, thousands of men.
656
00:35:03,309 --> 00:35:06,354
And I remember
657
00:35:06,395 --> 00:35:09,565
some people yelling,
"Hey, JJ."
658
00:35:09,607 --> 00:35:12,443
I said hello to people
that I knew
659
00:35:12,485 --> 00:35:17,156
from Bed-Stuy and Harlem,
and they were in Attica.
660
00:35:21,202 --> 00:35:23,162
Once inside,
we were brought along
661
00:35:23,204 --> 00:35:25,832
through the yard with a member
of the inmate security force
662
00:35:25,873 --> 00:35:28,167
constantly at our side.
663
00:35:28,209 --> 00:35:31,003
We were allowed to go
where they told us to go.
664
00:35:31,045 --> 00:35:32,630
We were allowed to film
665
00:35:32,672 --> 00:35:35,174
only when the prisoners
told us we could.
666
00:35:35,216 --> 00:35:36,676
Inmates' faces were covered
667
00:35:36,717 --> 00:35:39,178
so as to keep
their identities secret.
668
00:35:39,220 --> 00:35:41,305
Our first concern on entering
669
00:35:41,347 --> 00:35:43,641
was to learn
how the hostages were.
670
00:35:43,683 --> 00:35:44,827
We want to see your hostages.
671
00:35:44,851 --> 00:35:46,185
Show the hostages first.
672
00:35:46,227 --> 00:35:50,982
I was able to ask one question
673
00:35:51,023 --> 00:35:55,069
before I was moved
to the negotiation table.
674
00:35:55,111 --> 00:35:56,612
Been treated all right?
675
00:35:56,654 --> 00:35:58,257
Yes, I have so far
been treated very good.
676
00:35:58,281 --> 00:35:59,532
- No complaints?
- No.
677
00:35:59,574 --> 00:36:01,450
But no problems so far?
678
00:36:01,492 --> 00:36:04,162
So far, been treated very good.
679
00:36:04,203 --> 00:36:07,456
Shortly thereafter,
one of the inmates,
680
00:36:07,498 --> 00:36:11,752
a young man
by the name of L.D. Barkley,
681
00:36:11,794 --> 00:36:14,755
started to read the demands.
682
00:36:14,797 --> 00:36:16,799
The entire prison populace...
683
00:36:16,841 --> 00:36:19,093
That means each and every
one of us here...
684
00:36:19,135 --> 00:36:22,221
Have set forth to change forever
685
00:36:22,263 --> 00:36:24,182
the ruthless brutalization
686
00:36:24,223 --> 00:36:26,851
and disregard for the lives
of the prisoners here
687
00:36:26,893 --> 00:36:28,811
and throughout
the United States.
688
00:36:28,853 --> 00:36:31,856
He was saying what we all
wanted to scream.
689
00:36:31,898 --> 00:36:33,816
But he was explaining it
690
00:36:33,858 --> 00:36:35,860
so that everybody
could understand,
691
00:36:35,902 --> 00:36:38,362
so that when you were sitting
in your living room,
692
00:36:38,404 --> 00:36:40,740
you could say,
"Well, the guy's a criminal.
693
00:36:40,781 --> 00:36:42,700
Yeah, but he is saying
something that's...
694
00:36:45,912 --> 00:36:48,456
- - that I understand.
- How could we do that?"
695
00:36:48,497 --> 00:36:51,459
- You know?
- He was waking up America.
696
00:36:51,500 --> 00:36:52,919
And he was the best one
to do it.
697
00:36:53,753 --> 00:36:55,796
We are men!
698
00:36:55,838 --> 00:36:58,049
We are not beasts,
and we do not intend
699
00:36:58,090 --> 00:37:00,218
to be beaten or driven as such.
700
00:37:00,259 --> 00:37:02,720
LD was only gonna be here
for 90 days.
701
00:37:02,762 --> 00:37:04,222
He'll be getting out.
702
00:37:04,263 --> 00:37:06,599
But he wanted the outside world
to know that...
703
00:37:08,726 --> 00:37:10,686
the prisons were inhumane.
704
00:37:10,728 --> 00:37:13,689
What has happened here
is but the sound
705
00:37:13,731 --> 00:37:16,859
before the fury of those
who are oppressed.
706
00:37:16,901 --> 00:37:19,695
We will not compromise
on any terms
707
00:37:19,737 --> 00:37:23,449
except those terms
that are agreeable to us.
708
00:37:23,491 --> 00:37:25,159
We call upon all...
709
00:37:29,538 --> 00:37:31,415
You felt it.
710
00:37:34,126 --> 00:37:38,881
And at that moment,
I heard it, and I seen it.
711
00:37:38,923 --> 00:37:42,593
And that reaffirmed
why we was there.
712
00:37:42,635 --> 00:37:44,303
Why I was there.
713
00:37:48,224 --> 00:37:51,018
There was a feeling
that this was big.
714
00:37:51,060 --> 00:37:52,728
This was huge.
715
00:37:56,983 --> 00:37:59,443
Corrections Commissioner Oswald
716
00:37:59,485 --> 00:38:04,365
maintained that he had done
717
00:38:04,407 --> 00:38:06,993
quite a bit of the things
718
00:38:07,034 --> 00:38:10,162
that the inmates had requested.
719
00:38:10,204 --> 00:38:14,500
I've, uh, complied
720
00:38:14,542 --> 00:38:18,546
with the several things
I said I would do as my part.
721
00:38:18,587 --> 00:38:20,548
I've brought the press
722
00:38:20,589 --> 00:38:24,051
and other media in here
723
00:38:24,093 --> 00:38:25,845
to listen as we talk.
724
00:38:25,886 --> 00:38:28,431
And now, my question is...
725
00:38:28,472 --> 00:38:31,392
I asked earlier,
726
00:38:31,434 --> 00:38:33,227
when will you release
the hostages?
727
00:38:35,479 --> 00:38:38,149
But now, the table was turned,
728
00:38:38,190 --> 00:38:41,485
and we had the power.
729
00:38:41,527 --> 00:38:43,112
So when we asked him
for something,
730
00:38:43,154 --> 00:38:44,864
he had to give it to us
731
00:38:44,905 --> 00:38:46,407
'cause he didn't have no choice.
732
00:38:46,449 --> 00:38:48,617
We wanted some assurance
733
00:38:48,659 --> 00:38:52,496
that we weren't gonna be
retaliated against.
734
00:38:52,538 --> 00:38:54,874
So we asked Herman Schwartz
735
00:38:54,915 --> 00:38:58,753
to go to District Court
in New York
736
00:38:58,794 --> 00:39:03,299
and get an injunction
that would assure us
737
00:39:03,341 --> 00:39:05,676
that we wouldn't be
retaliated against.
738
00:39:05,718 --> 00:39:09,930
I sat down and wrote
an injunction
739
00:39:09,972 --> 00:39:13,726
which barred
any kind of retaliation.
740
00:39:14,852 --> 00:39:16,854
It had been agreed
that there would be
741
00:39:16,896 --> 00:39:18,898
another meeting
the next morning.
742
00:39:21,067 --> 00:39:23,235
The time is now
ten minutes of eight.
743
00:39:23,277 --> 00:39:26,572
We've been shooting this tape
for approximately two hours.
744
00:39:26,614 --> 00:39:28,407
We started about 6:00 p.m.
745
00:39:30,493 --> 00:39:32,703
The light is almost gone now.
746
00:39:32,745 --> 00:39:36,665
We can see lights
in cell block D.
747
00:39:36,707 --> 00:39:39,668
Singers vocalizing
748
00:39:45,341 --> 00:39:48,010
The guy next to me
was named Raymond White.
749
00:39:50,346 --> 00:39:53,265
He was walking around,
looking up in the air.
750
00:39:53,307 --> 00:39:55,768
- It's dark.
- I said, "Yo, Raymond White.
751
00:39:55,810 --> 00:39:58,896
Yo, Ray, you all right?"
752
00:39:58,938 --> 00:40:03,109
He said, "Man, I ain't been out
after dark in 22 years."
753
00:40:05,653 --> 00:40:06,862
And we was talking,
754
00:40:06,904 --> 00:40:10,074
singing songs...
It was a festive night.
755
00:40:10,116 --> 00:40:11,117
I loved it. I loved it.
756
00:40:11,158 --> 00:40:13,411
Man, I was out in the nighttime,
757
00:40:13,452 --> 00:40:14,995
looking at the stars.
758
00:40:15,037 --> 00:40:16,539
I was drunk. I was happy.
759
00:40:16,580 --> 00:40:18,140
You know, I was... I liked it,
you know.
760
00:40:18,165 --> 00:40:19,583
I was having a good time.
761
00:40:19,625 --> 00:40:22,503
And it was good. I felt free.
762
00:40:22,545 --> 00:40:24,171
You know, I mean,
prison was there,
763
00:40:24,213 --> 00:40:26,382
but, you know, I felt free.
764
00:40:26,424 --> 00:40:29,218
I didn't have to hear
765
00:40:29,260 --> 00:40:31,679
the doors locking.
766
00:40:31,720 --> 00:40:33,597
And if... it was a good feeling
767
00:40:33,639 --> 00:40:37,143
at that first night.
768
00:40:37,184 --> 00:40:39,770
When it got dark,
and everybody was talking
769
00:40:39,812 --> 00:40:41,439
about finding somewhere
to sleep...
770
00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:43,274
But, you know,
don't sleep alone,
771
00:40:43,315 --> 00:40:45,025
and, you know,
that type of thing.
772
00:40:45,067 --> 00:40:47,903
There's a lot of psychopaths
and sociopaths
773
00:40:47,945 --> 00:40:49,947
in those facilities,
so, you know,
774
00:40:49,989 --> 00:40:53,951
you had to protect yourself
from your peers, even.
775
00:41:01,459 --> 00:41:03,335
I knew this wasn't
gonna last forever.
776
00:41:05,212 --> 00:41:09,341
I knew there would...
There would be an end to this.
777
00:41:09,383 --> 00:41:10,843
But just because
we was incarcerated
778
00:41:10,885 --> 00:41:13,679
didn't mean that we were
less than human.
779
00:41:16,015 --> 00:41:18,017
Somebody had to take a stand.
780
00:41:28,027 --> 00:41:30,321
At dawn, as smoke
from yesterday's fires
781
00:41:30,362 --> 00:41:31,989
lingered over prison walls,
782
00:41:32,031 --> 00:41:34,074
a federal injunction
was obtained
783
00:41:34,116 --> 00:41:36,035
prohibiting physical reprisal
784
00:41:36,076 --> 00:41:37,578
against those involved
in the riot.
785
00:41:39,497 --> 00:41:42,625
When I brought in
the injunction,
786
00:41:42,666 --> 00:41:46,670
we talked to the prisoners
at opposite ends
787
00:41:46,712 --> 00:41:50,591
of a rather long tunnel.
788
00:41:50,633 --> 00:41:53,260
They said,
"Where are the administrators?"
789
00:41:53,302 --> 00:41:54,845
I said, "I don't know.
790
00:41:54,887 --> 00:41:56,931
I'm here, but I don't know
where they are."
791
00:41:56,972 --> 00:42:01,101
Finally, at ten o'clock,
Oswald and the others show up.
792
00:42:03,270 --> 00:42:05,397
The prisoners were furious.
793
00:42:05,439 --> 00:42:10,402
They had been,
as they would put it, dissed.
794
00:42:10,444 --> 00:42:12,571
They were supposed to meet
at seven or eight o'clock,
795
00:42:12,613 --> 00:42:16,075
and it was very clear...
796
00:42:16,116 --> 00:42:17,993
The air was very tense.
797
00:42:19,954 --> 00:42:23,582
You had the tables spread out.
798
00:42:23,624 --> 00:42:26,418
We were on one side.
799
00:42:26,460 --> 00:42:30,589
The inmates were on the other.
800
00:42:30,631 --> 00:42:33,717
And I gave them the document
that the judge had signed.
801
00:42:33,759 --> 00:42:37,429
This is nothing.
802
00:42:37,471 --> 00:42:40,849
I'm sorry,
I spent seven hours of...
803
00:42:40,891 --> 00:42:43,644
And got no sleep,
and traveled...
804
00:42:43,686 --> 00:42:46,397
He claimed that the federal
judge signed off
805
00:42:46,438 --> 00:42:50,192
on an injunction saying that
there would be no reprisals.
806
00:42:50,234 --> 00:42:55,030
And he came back in,
waving that at us,
807
00:42:55,072 --> 00:42:57,324
and Jerry the Jew said,
"Where's the seal?"
808
00:42:57,366 --> 00:43:00,327
There is no judicial seal
on this.
809
00:43:00,369 --> 00:43:04,248
I have received injunctions
from the Southern District
810
00:43:04,290 --> 00:43:06,041
which had judicial seals.
811
00:43:06,083 --> 00:43:08,460
This paper is an empty gesture.
812
00:43:08,502 --> 00:43:11,046
- Jerry the Jew.
- That was his nickname.
813
00:43:11,088 --> 00:43:13,799
Jerry Rosenberg
was a hell of a guy.
814
00:43:13,841 --> 00:43:15,467
And he was well-respected.
815
00:43:15,509 --> 00:43:17,970
He had a law degree.
816
00:43:18,012 --> 00:43:20,639
- And he knew law.
- He would help all the inmates.
817
00:43:20,681 --> 00:43:22,850
He was a jailhouse lawyer.
818
00:43:23,434 --> 00:43:26,895
You can take this piece
of paper and throw it away,
819
00:43:26,937 --> 00:43:28,314
because this is no protection.
820
00:43:28,355 --> 00:43:30,983
Jerry Rosenberg, God bless him,
821
00:43:31,025 --> 00:43:34,820
say, uh,
"Judge ain't signed this.
822
00:43:34,862 --> 00:43:38,824
There's no
Western District Court stamp
823
00:43:38,866 --> 00:43:42,036
on this document saying that,
you know what,
824
00:43:42,077 --> 00:43:46,832
nothing will happen to us,"
and tore it up.
825
00:43:46,874 --> 00:43:49,043
Herman, we know you mean well,
826
00:43:49,084 --> 00:43:51,879
but, uh, don't come
with the bullshit, Herm.
827
00:43:51,920 --> 00:43:53,922
We want a judicial seal
828
00:43:53,964 --> 00:43:56,008
and a continuing
restraining order
829
00:43:56,050 --> 00:43:58,510
until the litigation
is finally ended,
830
00:43:58,552 --> 00:44:00,929
without any reprisals
or brutality
831
00:44:00,971 --> 00:44:03,432
against any inmates
of this institution.
832
00:44:13,734 --> 00:44:16,862
Well, lawyers know that seals
833
00:44:16,904 --> 00:44:19,323
don't mean anything,
834
00:44:19,365 --> 00:44:22,451
uh, so long as the signature
is there.
835
00:44:23,243 --> 00:44:25,704
I could have kicked Jerry's ass.
836
00:44:25,746 --> 00:44:27,873
And I should have.
837
00:44:27,915 --> 00:44:32,169
Really, 'cause he just
started to grandstand.
838
00:44:32,211 --> 00:44:34,588
You know, he was caught up
in the moment.
839
00:44:37,257 --> 00:44:40,094
Smart as he is,
and as shrewd as he is,
840
00:44:40,135 --> 00:44:42,805
he overreacted,
841
00:44:42,846 --> 00:44:45,432
and we lost
an opportunity there.
842
00:44:45,474 --> 00:44:49,144
And then somebody said,
"Let's hold them.
843
00:44:49,186 --> 00:44:51,689
Let's add
to the hostage count."
844
00:44:54,274 --> 00:44:57,820
I hope I'm speaking
for every brother here.
845
00:44:57,861 --> 00:45:00,280
I want to address this
to you, Oswald.
846
00:45:00,322 --> 00:45:02,950
You come in here
popping that game.
847
00:45:02,991 --> 00:45:04,326
I know you don't give a fuck
848
00:45:04,368 --> 00:45:05,744
about none of them hacks
out there.
849
00:45:05,786 --> 00:45:07,037
Let me tell you something.
850
00:45:07,079 --> 00:45:09,164
- I don't give a fuck about you.
- Nothing.
851
00:45:09,206 --> 00:45:11,125
I know them people don't mean
nothing to you.
852
00:45:11,166 --> 00:45:12,918
Nothing.
853
00:45:12,960 --> 00:45:15,337
And I'ma tell you before
you leave here... if you leave.
854
00:45:15,379 --> 00:45:19,049
Mr. Oswald, it seems to me
that you weren't honest.
855
00:45:19,091 --> 00:45:23,262
It seems to me that you weren't
honest at prevarications.
856
00:45:23,303 --> 00:45:26,765
I bear witness
to your evil deeds, Mr. Oswald.
857
00:45:26,807 --> 00:45:30,227
Now, I repeat,
as I told you yesterday,
858
00:45:30,269 --> 00:45:32,688
we're being lenient with you.
859
00:45:32,730 --> 00:45:35,691
- We're negotiating.
- We are talking.
860
00:45:35,733 --> 00:45:38,861
- We shouldn't be.
- We should be demanding.
861
00:45:38,902 --> 00:45:40,195
Why?
862
00:45:40,237 --> 00:45:43,949
Because we have 35 lives,
not hostages.
863
00:45:43,991 --> 00:45:46,201
And I repeat, Mr. Oswald,
864
00:45:46,243 --> 00:45:49,747
a moment's hesitation
will cause you their lives.
865
00:45:49,788 --> 00:45:52,916
The meeting
in the yard got very tense
866
00:45:52,958 --> 00:45:55,586
because Oswald would talk to you
867
00:45:55,627 --> 00:45:57,588
from one side of his mouth,
868
00:45:57,629 --> 00:45:59,965
and then when he left the yard
and go outside,
869
00:46:00,007 --> 00:46:01,800
he talks from the other side
of the mouth.
870
00:46:01,842 --> 00:46:03,010
Have the inmates made
871
00:46:03,051 --> 00:46:04,678
any demands that you know of?
872
00:46:04,720 --> 00:46:06,239
There are all kinds
of demands, you know,
873
00:46:06,263 --> 00:46:09,099
for the change in...
Change in the whole world.
874
00:46:09,141 --> 00:46:13,937
But what he forgot was that
he was being seen on TV.
875
00:46:13,979 --> 00:46:18,275
- Come on. How could he do that?
- We're watching you.
876
00:46:18,317 --> 00:46:20,986
And you stated it
yesterday on the news media,
877
00:46:21,028 --> 00:46:22,738
in a huff, in a panic.
878
00:46:22,780 --> 00:46:24,740
You said, "Well, I don't know
what they want.
879
00:46:24,782 --> 00:46:26,825
They want the world."
And you left it like that.
880
00:46:26,867 --> 00:46:28,136
You walked away
from the reporters.
881
00:46:28,160 --> 00:46:29,828
Would you reply to that,
Mr. Oswald?
882
00:46:29,870 --> 00:46:31,497
Yes, I did say that.
883
00:46:31,538 --> 00:46:32,640
No, we didn't ask
you that, because we didn't...
884
00:46:32,664 --> 00:46:33,832
Let him finish, please.
885
00:46:33,874 --> 00:46:35,334
I did say that.
886
00:46:35,375 --> 00:46:37,252
Can't bullshit a bullshitter.
887
00:46:37,294 --> 00:46:39,171
You can't do that.
888
00:46:39,213 --> 00:46:41,632
The first time he came in,
"I'ma do this,
889
00:46:41,673 --> 00:46:45,302
and people was happy.
890
00:46:45,344 --> 00:46:47,071
"All right, go on about
your business, get it done."
891
00:46:47,095 --> 00:46:50,474
Came back in and started
talking, you know...
892
00:46:50,516 --> 00:46:52,100
You know, he was going
roundabout there
893
00:46:52,142 --> 00:46:53,811
and roundabout there,
and they said,
894
00:46:53,852 --> 00:46:56,271
"No, don't let the hostages go.
895
00:46:56,313 --> 00:46:58,106
All right, how about
you be a hostage?"
896
00:46:58,148 --> 00:47:03,028
We have been asking for over
29 hours for food and water.
897
00:47:03,070 --> 00:47:05,447
- We haven't got none.
- We're gonna keep Mr. Russell...
898
00:47:05,489 --> 00:47:07,074
Russell G. Oswald here
899
00:47:07,115 --> 00:47:08,617
until we get
some food and water.
900
00:47:10,744 --> 00:47:12,138
"No, we're not
letting him out of here.
901
00:47:12,162 --> 00:47:14,039
We're keeping him hostage."
902
00:47:14,081 --> 00:47:16,250
We all... we shut that down.
903
00:47:16,291 --> 00:47:19,169
- We're not gonna be like them.
- We're not gonna break our word.
904
00:47:19,211 --> 00:47:20,879
And he says,
"Well, inmates would be
905
00:47:20,921 --> 00:47:21,964
more honorable than them?"
906
00:47:22,005 --> 00:47:24,132
Yes, we were.
907
00:47:24,174 --> 00:47:26,552
'Cause we gave them our word
nothing would happen to them.
908
00:47:34,893 --> 00:47:36,562
And everybody started screaming,
909
00:47:36,603 --> 00:47:39,314
"Let him go! Let him go!"
910
00:47:39,356 --> 00:47:40,691
Security, please.
911
00:47:42,651 --> 00:47:44,319
Security, please.
912
00:47:45,404 --> 00:47:48,073
And he got out of Dodge,
and he never came back.
913
00:47:53,537 --> 00:47:55,706
In New York state,
some 500 inmates
914
00:47:55,747 --> 00:47:58,959
of the Attica Maximum Security
Prison are still in revolt.
915
00:47:59,001 --> 00:48:01,169
Authorities tried
unsuccessfully to reach
916
00:48:01,211 --> 00:48:04,214
a settlement with the prisoners
over demands for reforms
917
00:48:04,256 --> 00:48:06,758
and to obtain release
of more than 30 hostages.
918
00:48:06,800 --> 00:48:08,886
We have a report on what's
been happening at Attica
919
00:48:08,927 --> 00:48:10,929
from ABC's John Johnson.
920
00:48:10,971 --> 00:48:12,055
Fires were still burning
921
00:48:12,097 --> 00:48:13,974
at Attica State Prison.
922
00:48:14,016 --> 00:48:17,102
Despite a small army of police
and state troopers,
923
00:48:17,144 --> 00:48:20,564
the prisoners continue
to call the shots at Attica.
924
00:48:20,606 --> 00:48:23,859
Commissioner Oswald announced
that prison officials
925
00:48:23,901 --> 00:48:25,944
were attempting
to bring to the prison
926
00:48:25,986 --> 00:48:29,865
those people requested
by the prisoners.
927
00:48:29,907 --> 00:48:34,244
The group was basically people
928
00:48:34,286 --> 00:48:35,996
whom they knew.
929
00:48:36,038 --> 00:48:38,165
People like Tom Wicker,
930
00:48:38,206 --> 00:48:41,376
who had written a column
about prisoners.
931
00:48:41,418 --> 00:48:43,462
Senator John Dunne
932
00:48:43,503 --> 00:48:45,714
was chairman
of the Prisons Committee
933
00:48:45,756 --> 00:48:47,215
and sympathetic.
934
00:48:47,257 --> 00:48:49,384
He was asked to come.
935
00:48:49,426 --> 00:48:53,764
Bill Kunstler, a lawyer
for the Chicago Seven.
936
00:48:53,805 --> 00:48:55,724
Asked him to come in.
937
00:48:55,766 --> 00:48:58,101
And Clarence Jones,
938
00:48:58,143 --> 00:49:00,812
publisher of the Amsterdam News.
939
00:49:05,484 --> 00:49:06,794
I have a driver
who's driving me up
940
00:49:06,818 --> 00:49:08,362
to the Amsterdam News.
941
00:49:08,403 --> 00:49:10,030
And the driver says, "Boss!
942
00:49:10,072 --> 00:49:11,299
They're calling your name
on the radio."
943
00:49:11,323 --> 00:49:13,367
I said, "What you mean?"
944
00:49:13,408 --> 00:49:16,203
Called Rockefeller,
and lo and behold,
945
00:49:16,244 --> 00:49:17,955
the governor
picked up the phone.
946
00:49:17,996 --> 00:49:22,000
He said, "Thank you so much,
Mr. Jones.
947
00:49:22,042 --> 00:49:23,794
We have a major situation.
948
00:49:25,504 --> 00:49:28,840
A number of the inmates
have called your name.
949
00:49:30,884 --> 00:49:32,970
We'll have a car pick you up
950
00:49:33,011 --> 00:49:35,347
and take you
to a private airport...
951
00:49:37,265 --> 00:49:39,810
where a state private plane
is waiting for you."
952
00:49:42,062 --> 00:49:45,857
And there, I'm off to Attica,
953
00:49:45,899 --> 00:49:49,486
to be part
of the observers committee.
954
00:49:51,780 --> 00:49:55,283
My wife and I were off
on a vacation at the time,
955
00:49:55,325 --> 00:49:57,470
and we got a call that they
had asked me to come there,
956
00:49:57,494 --> 00:49:59,663
and I felt that,
with my prior experience
957
00:49:59,705 --> 00:50:01,206
and my responsibilities
958
00:50:01,248 --> 00:50:02,725
as the chairman
of the Prison Committee,
959
00:50:02,749 --> 00:50:04,042
I ought to be there.
960
00:50:06,169 --> 00:50:07,838
I was optimistic.
961
00:50:07,879 --> 00:50:11,258
I thought, "Give it a shot."
962
00:50:11,299 --> 00:50:13,010
For the rebel
prisoners of Attica,
963
00:50:13,051 --> 00:50:15,512
the encouraging appearance of
people they consider friends,
964
00:50:15,554 --> 00:50:17,305
a 30-man mediation committee,
965
00:50:17,347 --> 00:50:19,474
including a congressman,
four newsmen,
966
00:50:19,516 --> 00:50:22,310
and most importantly,
lawyer William Kunstler.
967
00:50:22,352 --> 00:50:23,520
Have you heard anything
968
00:50:23,562 --> 00:50:25,105
from Governor Rockefeller's
office?
969
00:50:25,147 --> 00:50:28,650
I mean, has he put any time
limit on these negotiations?
970
00:50:28,692 --> 00:50:32,279
No, but I understand
that there is no present plan
971
00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:35,240
to use force in this prison,
and I hope that continues.
972
00:50:35,282 --> 00:50:37,367
I just hope that they realize
that this is
973
00:50:37,409 --> 00:50:41,079
a unique situation,
and that it may take time,
974
00:50:41,121 --> 00:50:43,248
and that if everyone's
in good faith,
975
00:50:43,290 --> 00:50:44,791
something will work out.
976
00:50:47,085 --> 00:50:49,713
- It was scary.
- The tension was tremendous.
977
00:50:49,755 --> 00:50:52,007
You could have cut the air
with a knife.
978
00:50:52,049 --> 00:50:54,092
It was terrifying.
979
00:50:54,134 --> 00:50:56,928
I remember going into the yard
and saying to Mel Rivers,
980
00:50:56,970 --> 00:50:58,597
"Do you have a cigarette?"
981
00:50:58,638 --> 00:51:00,533
And he said, "You have one
in your... one in your hand,
982
00:51:00,557 --> 00:51:03,101
one in your mouth,
and one in your ear."
983
00:51:03,143 --> 00:51:05,771
I was scared.
984
00:51:05,812 --> 00:51:07,939
When you see a tower
with people with rifles...
985
00:51:09,441 --> 00:51:12,611
I kept thinking, um,
we should stay close
986
00:51:12,652 --> 00:51:14,279
to Tom Wicker
and Herman Badillo,
987
00:51:14,321 --> 00:51:16,823
because they would be
the least likely to be shot.
988
00:51:19,326 --> 00:51:21,787
Frank "Big Black" Smith
989
00:51:21,828 --> 00:51:25,624
was the overall security leader.
990
00:51:25,665 --> 00:51:28,126
He took that job on himself
already.
991
00:51:28,168 --> 00:51:30,629
He was the guy.
992
00:51:30,670 --> 00:51:32,339
He was the big man.
993
00:51:32,380 --> 00:51:35,008
I mean, this fella was big.
994
00:51:35,050 --> 00:51:37,427
They was responsible
to making sure that
995
00:51:37,469 --> 00:51:41,223
the observers that came in...
996
00:51:41,264 --> 00:51:43,308
The same way they came in
997
00:51:43,350 --> 00:51:45,227
is the same way they left.
998
00:51:45,268 --> 00:51:48,105
You know, no harm come to them.
999
00:51:48,146 --> 00:51:52,025
He said, "Well, we gotta have
a inmate security force."
1000
00:51:52,067 --> 00:51:54,736
- Said, "All right.
- We're looking for volunteers.
1001
00:51:54,778 --> 00:51:58,532
You, you, you, you, you,
y'all on the inmate force.
1002
00:51:58,573 --> 00:52:00,659
And it can't be all Black guys.
1003
00:52:00,700 --> 00:52:03,495
We need Black guys, white guys,
and Puerto Ricans."
1004
00:52:06,873 --> 00:52:10,001
We would line up
and create a corridor,
1005
00:52:10,043 --> 00:52:12,504
and they would walk down
the middle of the corridor,
1006
00:52:12,546 --> 00:52:16,424
with us being a barrier
between general population
1007
00:52:16,466 --> 00:52:18,009
and the negotiators.
1008
00:52:18,051 --> 00:52:20,846
So we would just stand
shoulder to shoulder
1009
00:52:20,887 --> 00:52:24,349
and give them that safe space
to walk through.
1010
00:52:28,687 --> 00:52:29,855
We began to talk to with them
1011
00:52:29,896 --> 00:52:32,107
about what they wanted.
1012
00:52:32,149 --> 00:52:36,528
And they had their list
of things
1013
00:52:36,570 --> 00:52:39,114
that they wanted
already written.
1014
00:52:39,156 --> 00:52:42,033
You know,
everybody wanted a voice...
1015
00:52:42,075 --> 00:52:44,411
Good, bad, and the whacked out.
1016
00:52:44,452 --> 00:52:47,747
So nothing went easy,
but it went.
1017
00:52:47,789 --> 00:52:49,916
We got to a point where we had
1018
00:52:49,958 --> 00:52:53,545
what we thought
might be possible.
1019
00:52:53,587 --> 00:52:56,298
Their demands were, you know,
1020
00:52:56,339 --> 00:52:59,676
reasonable demands
about living conditions.
1021
00:52:59,718 --> 00:53:02,804
They wanted medical care,
1022
00:53:02,846 --> 00:53:06,057
uh, decent food,
1023
00:53:06,099 --> 00:53:10,270
uh, fair disciplinary hearings.
1024
00:53:13,356 --> 00:53:16,359
Basically, they wanted
to be treated
1025
00:53:16,401 --> 00:53:19,571
like human beings.
1026
00:53:19,613 --> 00:53:20,864
Prisoners late last night
1027
00:53:20,906 --> 00:53:23,241
met with a 30-member
civilian committee
1028
00:53:23,283 --> 00:53:25,243
in an attempt to clarify demands
1029
00:53:25,285 --> 00:53:27,537
ranging from better
prison life conditions
1030
00:53:27,579 --> 00:53:29,664
to more religious
and political freedom.
1031
00:53:29,706 --> 00:53:33,001
I injected into the demands
1032
00:53:33,043 --> 00:53:36,755
for some people to go
to a non-imperialistic country,
1033
00:53:36,796 --> 00:53:39,382
you know, to be flied out.
1034
00:53:39,424 --> 00:53:42,177
We thought Cuba
was gonna come and get us.
1035
00:53:42,219 --> 00:53:46,389
You ship troops to Vietnam,
to Santo Domingo,
1036
00:53:46,431 --> 00:53:49,351
to all these foreign countries,
to oppress the brothers.
1037
00:53:49,392 --> 00:53:51,478
You can bring one of these
helicopters in here
1038
00:53:51,519 --> 00:53:53,563
and ship us
on out of this country.
1039
00:53:55,732 --> 00:53:58,526
We done seen people snatch
airplanes and all like that
1040
00:53:58,568 --> 00:54:01,238
and go to Cuba and Algiers
and all other places.
1041
00:54:01,279 --> 00:54:03,114
Why not get out of jail?
1042
00:54:03,156 --> 00:54:06,117
An Air France jet was hijacked
by Palestinian guerillas.
1043
00:54:06,159 --> 00:54:10,330
A 17-year-old girl
hijacked a TWA jetliner on a...
1044
00:54:10,372 --> 00:54:12,707
I had four years in
on a 25-to-life sentence.
1045
00:54:12,749 --> 00:54:14,918
Why not get out of jail?
1046
00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:16,419
Why not?
1047
00:54:16,461 --> 00:54:20,131
Well, we all knew that
that wasn't gonna happen.
1048
00:54:20,173 --> 00:54:24,761
We weren't gonna go to Algeria
in their plane, I knew that.
1049
00:54:24,803 --> 00:54:27,889
Everybody, the back
of their minds, knew that.
1050
00:54:27,931 --> 00:54:29,307
But we needed amnesty.
1051
00:54:31,810 --> 00:54:33,395
We want the federal judiciary
1052
00:54:33,436 --> 00:54:35,480
to guarantee complete amnesty
1053
00:54:35,522 --> 00:54:38,149
to each and every one of us
that has taken part
1054
00:54:38,191 --> 00:54:42,070
in the struggle here at Attica,
to ensure that this amnesty
1055
00:54:42,112 --> 00:54:44,531
will not be
just a groping in the wind,
1056
00:54:44,572 --> 00:54:48,493
but a reality for each
and every one of us.
1057
00:54:48,535 --> 00:54:50,537
They were not looking
to be relieved
1058
00:54:50,578 --> 00:54:53,415
of the prison sentences
to which they had been sent
1059
00:54:53,456 --> 00:54:55,792
by the courts
after being convicted.
1060
00:54:55,834 --> 00:54:59,921
They were looking to be freed
from any prosecution
1061
00:54:59,963 --> 00:55:03,633
or any penalties
for their engaging in the riot.
1062
00:55:06,678 --> 00:55:09,806
Besides the normal beatings
and everything else
1063
00:55:09,848 --> 00:55:14,811
that they're gonna do to us,
which is, you know, automatic,
1064
00:55:14,853 --> 00:55:17,856
we knew that they could also
take us and bring us to courts
1065
00:55:17,897 --> 00:55:22,193
and, you know, and turn us
into the monster inmates
1066
00:55:22,235 --> 00:55:24,988
who took over the prison.
1067
00:55:25,030 --> 00:55:28,366
We are not advocating violence.
1068
00:55:28,408 --> 00:55:30,702
We all want to live.
1069
00:55:32,912 --> 00:55:35,665
All of us.
1070
00:55:35,707 --> 00:55:37,751
If any of you gentlemen
own dogs...
1071
00:55:39,794 --> 00:55:42,922
You're treating them better
than we have been treated
1072
00:55:42,964 --> 00:55:45,133
the last year.
1073
00:55:47,761 --> 00:55:49,721
They were fiercely trying
1074
00:55:49,763 --> 00:55:52,432
to convince prison authorities
1075
00:55:52,474 --> 00:55:55,602
that they didn't cease
being a human being
1076
00:55:55,643 --> 00:55:59,689
merely by the fact
that they were incarcerated
1077
00:55:59,731 --> 00:56:03,526
because they had broken
a law of society.
1078
00:56:03,568 --> 00:56:05,695
Now, that's a profound thing.
1079
00:56:05,737 --> 00:56:08,698
"I am somebody.
1080
00:56:08,740 --> 00:56:11,076
I'm not a thing.
1081
00:56:11,117 --> 00:56:14,621
You can't treat me like a dog.
1082
00:56:14,662 --> 00:56:18,249
I may be a prisoner,
but I have dignity."
1083
00:56:18,291 --> 00:56:21,503
And that's what they insisted
1084
00:56:21,544 --> 00:56:24,506
on getting the...
1085
00:56:24,547 --> 00:56:28,885
power structure of Attica
to recognize...
1086
00:56:28,927 --> 00:56:32,931
That they continued
to be somebody.
1087
00:56:35,642 --> 00:56:39,145
The observers,
they all were listening to us.
1088
00:56:39,187 --> 00:56:43,274
I feel that they
were supporting us.
1089
00:56:43,316 --> 00:56:46,444
You see,
and that meant a lot to us.
1090
00:56:48,530 --> 00:56:50,907
- "- This is our situation.
- Please listen to us."
1091
00:56:50,949 --> 00:56:53,284
- And that's what they were doing.
- They were listening.
1092
00:56:53,326 --> 00:56:55,495
It felt like there was somebody
that believed in us.
1093
00:56:55,537 --> 00:56:57,288
It felt that way.
1094
00:56:57,330 --> 00:56:58,665
That somebody believed that,
1095
00:56:58,706 --> 00:57:00,542
you know,
you did have some rights,
1096
00:57:00,583 --> 00:57:02,583
even though you were
a convicted felon of whatever.
1097
00:57:04,796 --> 00:57:08,133
We'd be able to get better
mailing privileges,
1098
00:57:08,174 --> 00:57:09,926
better medical privileges.
1099
00:57:09,968 --> 00:57:13,847
We tried to nail it down
to that which was realistic
1100
00:57:13,888 --> 00:57:17,600
and possible,
distinguished from a plane
1101
00:57:17,642 --> 00:57:20,645
waiting for us
outside the cell block,
1102
00:57:20,687 --> 00:57:22,981
flying us to Cuba.
1103
00:57:23,022 --> 00:57:24,816
That's what it was.
1104
00:57:24,858 --> 00:57:28,194
It was realism from fantasy.
1105
00:57:29,946 --> 00:57:32,365
We want to be treated
as human beings.
1106
00:57:33,741 --> 00:57:37,829
We will be treated
as human beings.
1107
00:57:37,871 --> 00:57:39,664
We have come
to the conclusion...
1108
00:57:41,458 --> 00:57:44,627
after close study,
1109
00:57:44,669 --> 00:57:47,881
after much suffering,
1110
00:57:47,922 --> 00:57:51,217
after much consideration,
1111
00:57:51,259 --> 00:57:56,306
that if we cannot
live as people,
1112
00:57:56,347 --> 00:58:00,226
then we will at least
try to die like men.
1113
00:58:04,314 --> 00:58:08,359
That statement resounded
everywhere.
1114
00:58:14,115 --> 00:58:16,284
In that yard, when he said that,
1115
00:58:16,326 --> 00:58:19,704
a roar went up like no other.
1116
00:58:19,746 --> 00:58:21,498
This was their stand.
1117
00:58:21,539 --> 00:58:24,459
I saw that I really...
1118
00:58:24,501 --> 00:58:26,753
None of us
were gonna be observers.
1119
00:58:26,794 --> 00:58:28,796
We were gonna be mediators.
1120
00:58:28,838 --> 00:58:31,591
Whether we wanted
to be mediators or not,
1121
00:58:31,633 --> 00:58:35,512
whether we were called up
to be mediators,
1122
00:58:35,553 --> 00:58:39,766
this prison uprising
had to be mediated.
1123
00:58:39,807 --> 00:58:42,727
Otherwise, it was gonna end
in disaster.
1124
00:58:44,437 --> 00:58:48,274
If you people do not understand,
1125
00:58:48,316 --> 00:58:51,903
if you people
do not stick with us,
1126
00:58:51,945 --> 00:58:53,947
if you people cannot make
the commitment
1127
00:58:53,988 --> 00:58:55,406
that we have made here...
1128
00:58:57,742 --> 00:59:00,036
we are dead.
1129
00:59:00,078 --> 00:59:03,957
I appeal, beseech you all
1130
00:59:03,998 --> 00:59:05,959
to stand with us,
1131
00:59:06,000 --> 00:59:08,503
walk with us,
1132
00:59:08,545 --> 00:59:10,713
die with us, if necessary!
1133
00:59:10,755 --> 00:59:13,591
- I hear you!
- You and all the people!
1134
00:59:13,633 --> 00:59:16,553
Power to you and all the people!
1135
00:59:40,326 --> 00:59:43,955
Things were growing
on the outside.
1136
00:59:43,997 --> 00:59:45,665
Don't tape this.
1137
00:59:48,334 --> 00:59:50,378
There were more journalists.
1138
00:59:50,420 --> 00:59:53,423
There were more police.
1139
00:59:53,464 --> 00:59:55,758
And it was just getting bigger
1140
00:59:55,800 --> 01:00:00,013
and bigger and bigger.
1141
01:00:00,054 --> 01:00:02,974
People are coming night and day,
1142
01:00:03,016 --> 01:00:07,562
vans with reporters and police,
and things are building up.
1143
01:00:11,065 --> 01:00:12,358
Among those keeping a vigil
1144
01:00:12,400 --> 01:00:14,110
outside the prison walls,
1145
01:00:14,152 --> 01:00:16,863
the families of some
of the 38 men held hostage.
1146
01:00:16,904 --> 01:00:19,741
I was just home,
watching the TV.
1147
01:00:19,782 --> 01:00:23,745
I just kept looking
for my husband.
1148
01:00:23,786 --> 01:00:27,040
Maybe he'd be killed
or brutalized in some way,
1149
01:00:27,081 --> 01:00:28,916
because the inmates at that time
1150
01:00:28,958 --> 01:00:30,918
had the power there, you know.
1151
01:00:30,960 --> 01:00:34,547
And if they didn't like
somebody, or who knew what,
1152
01:00:34,589 --> 01:00:36,966
you were just scared
to death that, you know,
1153
01:00:37,008 --> 01:00:38,968
they'd just kill them all
or something
1154
01:00:39,010 --> 01:00:40,511
if they didn't get their way.
1155
01:00:42,472 --> 01:00:44,223
Families of the 31 hostages
1156
01:00:44,265 --> 01:00:46,059
wait for word as part
of the prison
1157
01:00:46,100 --> 01:00:48,144
remains in control
of the inmates.
1158
01:00:54,651 --> 01:00:55,943
They were upset,
1159
01:00:55,985 --> 01:00:58,029
they were angry,
and they were scared,
1160
01:00:58,071 --> 01:01:00,698
standing out there
1161
01:01:00,740 --> 01:01:03,993
while their loved ones
are being held hostage,
1162
01:01:04,035 --> 01:01:05,703
and they are waiting
1163
01:01:05,745 --> 01:01:09,207
for any scrap of information,
1164
01:01:09,248 --> 01:01:11,376
to hear something.
1165
01:01:13,086 --> 01:01:15,546
And many of those families
1166
01:01:15,588 --> 01:01:17,548
stood vigil
day and night out there.
1167
01:01:20,760 --> 01:01:22,387
A bunch of people crying,
1168
01:01:22,428 --> 01:01:25,723
the wives and brothers
and fathers,
1169
01:01:25,765 --> 01:01:27,517
freaking out.
1170
01:01:27,558 --> 01:01:29,560
Just panic.
1171
01:01:29,602 --> 01:01:32,021
People were afraid to talk
in the parking lot
1172
01:01:32,063 --> 01:01:34,399
because they thought that...
1173
01:01:34,440 --> 01:01:36,943
To any reporters or anybody,
even.
1174
01:01:36,984 --> 01:01:38,945
They did it all in privacy
1175
01:01:38,986 --> 01:01:41,155
because they didn't want
their relatives targeted,
1176
01:01:41,197 --> 01:01:43,032
singled out by the inmates.
1177
01:01:54,627 --> 01:01:56,546
I had sympathy for them.
1178
01:01:56,587 --> 01:01:59,590
They... where else
were you gonna get a job
1179
01:01:59,632 --> 01:02:03,261
if you lived in that area?
1180
01:02:03,302 --> 01:02:06,097
And you had no training
1181
01:02:06,139 --> 01:02:09,016
and no understanding
1182
01:02:09,058 --> 01:02:11,018
of what it was like
1183
01:02:11,060 --> 01:02:14,272
to grow up in a poor,
1184
01:02:14,313 --> 01:02:17,942
Black, urban area.
1185
01:02:17,984 --> 01:02:21,112
You... these were aliens.
1186
01:02:21,154 --> 01:02:24,198
These were people
from a different world.
1187
01:02:26,492 --> 01:02:29,787
And your family members
1188
01:02:29,829 --> 01:02:34,584
maybe are gonna get killed
because of them?
1189
01:02:34,625 --> 01:02:38,045
Sure, you were infuriated.
1190
01:02:40,256 --> 01:02:42,925
All these dogs up there
with all those rifles
1191
01:02:42,967 --> 01:02:44,844
are trying to kill us.
1192
01:02:44,886 --> 01:02:46,512
Well, we ain't gonna quit.
1193
01:02:46,554 --> 01:02:49,640
The inmates that were
given microphones on TV,
1194
01:02:49,682 --> 01:02:51,851
I mean... very upsetting.
1195
01:02:53,394 --> 01:02:55,021
They should have
resolved it right away.
1196
01:02:55,062 --> 01:02:58,357
- It just went on too far.
- We all just wanted it to end.
1197
01:03:00,777 --> 01:03:04,906
What I would hear over the radio
1198
01:03:04,947 --> 01:03:06,783
and the TV
1199
01:03:06,824 --> 01:03:09,368
was not satisfying to me at all,
1200
01:03:09,410 --> 01:03:13,331
because it seemed to me
that what I was hearing,
1201
01:03:13,372 --> 01:03:16,501
I didn't think was...
1202
01:03:16,542 --> 01:03:18,920
They were doing the right thing.
1203
01:03:18,961 --> 01:03:22,173
It just seemed
sort of limp to me.
1204
01:03:22,215 --> 01:03:23,549
And that was frustrating.
1205
01:03:25,718 --> 01:03:27,345
You'd hear stuff from people.
1206
01:03:27,386 --> 01:03:29,138
That's where it got
a little scary, too,
1207
01:03:29,180 --> 01:03:32,266
'cause you could see how
the inmates were considered,
1208
01:03:32,308 --> 01:03:35,520
like, less than human,
kind of like animals.
1209
01:03:35,561 --> 01:03:37,939
There was people saying,
you know,
1210
01:03:37,980 --> 01:03:39,482
"Don't worry about your dad."
1211
01:03:39,524 --> 01:03:42,235
You know, "they'll get theirs"
type thing.
1212
01:03:42,276 --> 01:03:45,404
And so that kind of made it
even more scary.
1213
01:03:45,446 --> 01:03:47,657
You realize
how emotionally charged
1214
01:03:47,698 --> 01:03:49,826
the community's getting.
1215
01:03:49,867 --> 01:03:52,036
The tensions got worse
and worse and worse.
1216
01:03:52,078 --> 01:03:53,996
Emotions got worse
and worse and worse.
1217
01:04:04,173 --> 01:04:06,634
Saturday, I think that the hope
1218
01:04:06,676 --> 01:04:10,429
was stronger than the doubt,
because after three days,
1219
01:04:10,471 --> 01:04:13,891
you know, Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday,
1220
01:04:13,933 --> 01:04:15,560
they hadn't came in there.
1221
01:04:15,601 --> 01:04:17,061
We had, like, 30 demands,
1222
01:04:17,103 --> 01:04:22,191
and most of them were possible.
1223
01:04:22,233 --> 01:04:25,319
And we were exuberant about it.
1224
01:04:25,361 --> 01:04:28,072
I've never seen
anything like this.
1225
01:04:28,114 --> 01:04:30,408
The people in here
are treated like dogs.
1226
01:04:30,449 --> 01:04:33,327
Not only the Black...
The Puerto Rican and the white.
1227
01:04:33,369 --> 01:04:34,912
And we're gonna get
what we demand,
1228
01:04:34,954 --> 01:04:36,747
or we gonna die trying.
1229
01:04:36,789 --> 01:04:38,833
Thank you.
1230
01:04:38,875 --> 01:04:40,626
We thought that,
whatever happened,
1231
01:04:40,668 --> 01:04:42,920
we could maybe really walk away
1232
01:04:42,962 --> 01:04:44,589
with some improvement
in our lives.
1233
01:04:47,216 --> 01:04:50,595
Point was is that
whatever happened,
1234
01:04:50,636 --> 01:04:53,389
it just had to make
a difference.
1235
01:04:53,431 --> 01:04:56,309
- Change had to happen.
- You had to embrace hope.
1236
01:05:02,231 --> 01:05:04,775
There's a report that prison
officials have yielded
1237
01:05:04,817 --> 01:05:07,236
to most of the demands
by the rebelling inmates
1238
01:05:07,278 --> 01:05:09,405
at the Attica State Prison
in New York,
1239
01:05:09,447 --> 01:05:11,449
where more than 30 persons
have been held hostage
1240
01:05:11,490 --> 01:05:13,993
for three days.
1241
01:05:14,035 --> 01:05:16,787
As you know, during this ordeal,
1242
01:05:16,829 --> 01:05:19,749
I have personally met
with inmates
1243
01:05:19,790 --> 01:05:23,502
on several occasions
in areas under their control,
1244
01:05:23,544 --> 01:05:26,589
and have demonstrated
my commitment
1245
01:05:26,631 --> 01:05:29,634
to deal with the issues
they have raised
1246
01:05:29,675 --> 01:05:33,304
by accepting 28 of the 30
1247
01:05:33,346 --> 01:05:35,640
major inmate proposals.
1248
01:05:35,681 --> 01:05:38,809
Mr. Kunstler, can you tell me
what's gonna happen now?
1249
01:05:38,851 --> 01:05:42,730
Well, we hope negotiations
will start this afternoon
1250
01:05:42,772 --> 01:05:44,649
and continue
until they reach a solution.
1251
01:05:44,690 --> 01:05:46,734
Is Huey Newton or Bobby Seale,
1252
01:05:46,776 --> 01:05:48,736
- are they coming?
- They were asked for.
1253
01:05:48,778 --> 01:05:50,071
We hope so, and we understood
1254
01:05:50,112 --> 01:05:51,656
that they were en route.
1255
01:05:51,697 --> 01:05:54,033
We had kind of settled in
1256
01:05:54,075 --> 01:05:55,826
on the demands,
1257
01:05:55,868 --> 01:06:00,289
and we had negotiated
with Oswald for his commitment
1258
01:06:00,331 --> 01:06:02,333
to 28 of them.
1259
01:06:04,710 --> 01:06:07,254
And the whole point
of Bobby Seale's coming there
1260
01:06:07,296 --> 01:06:10,091
would be for him
to bless and support
1261
01:06:10,132 --> 01:06:12,635
and urge the inmates
to accept them.
1262
01:06:18,265 --> 01:06:20,142
Bobby Seale was our hero,
1263
01:06:20,184 --> 01:06:22,812
because he was speaking out
about the brutality
1264
01:06:22,853 --> 01:06:25,314
that was happening
in the prison system.
1265
01:06:25,356 --> 01:06:27,817
He was doing
what we were trying to live.
1266
01:06:27,858 --> 01:06:30,987
He was a Panther,
the second-in-command.
1267
01:06:31,028 --> 01:06:33,197
I really thought
he was gonna help us out.
1268
01:06:33,239 --> 01:06:36,701
Every demand. Every demand.
1269
01:06:39,036 --> 01:06:42,081
- Bobby didn't stay long.
- Bobby didn't stay long.
1270
01:06:42,123 --> 01:06:44,500
Came up to where
the negotiating table was,
1271
01:06:44,542 --> 01:06:45,835
made his little speech.
1272
01:06:45,876 --> 01:06:47,628
He ain't walk around the yard.
1273
01:06:49,088 --> 01:06:50,798
Bobby walked right up
out the jail.
1274
01:06:54,301 --> 01:06:56,303
It was quite a letdown.
1275
01:06:56,345 --> 01:06:58,806
- Let's go.
- Let's go, big man.
1276
01:06:58,848 --> 01:07:00,850
He stayed
all about three minutes.
1277
01:07:03,561 --> 01:07:06,981
At that point,
everybody just sitting around
1278
01:07:07,023 --> 01:07:09,025
waiting for something to happen.
1279
01:07:13,237 --> 01:07:17,366
But then Billy Quinn died,
1280
01:07:17,408 --> 01:07:19,869
and that transformed everything.
1281
01:07:19,910 --> 01:07:21,537
The State Prison
in Attica, New York,
1282
01:07:21,579 --> 01:07:23,330
is at the crisis point.
1283
01:07:23,372 --> 01:07:25,875
The death of one of the guards
has hardened the position
1284
01:07:25,916 --> 01:07:28,044
of prison officials,
and there are strong...
1285
01:07:28,085 --> 01:07:30,046
You don't get amnesty
for a murder.
1286
01:07:30,087 --> 01:07:31,630
I immediately knew...
1287
01:07:35,718 --> 01:07:39,638
that the process of negotiations
1288
01:07:39,680 --> 01:07:43,017
just became far more difficult.
1289
01:07:43,059 --> 01:07:45,644
I knew that was, uh,
1290
01:07:45,686 --> 01:07:48,898
that was the worst possible
thing that could happen.
1291
01:07:48,939 --> 01:07:53,319
How could they
peacefully negotiate
1292
01:07:53,360 --> 01:07:56,155
with inmates
who they held responsible
1293
01:07:56,197 --> 01:07:57,865
for the death of a guard?
1294
01:08:01,327 --> 01:08:05,122
Prior to his passing on,
1295
01:08:05,164 --> 01:08:09,085
there was a hope
and even an expectation,
1296
01:08:09,126 --> 01:08:11,921
because people were listening,
1297
01:08:11,962 --> 01:08:13,255
people were coming to understand
1298
01:08:13,297 --> 01:08:16,300
what we had been living through
1299
01:08:16,342 --> 01:08:18,803
and suffering
as prisoners there.
1300
01:08:20,554 --> 01:08:23,474
We knew that
it was a new ballgame.
1301
01:08:23,516 --> 01:08:28,187
It was depression and fear...
1302
01:08:28,229 --> 01:08:32,233
and, you know, anxiety,
and, yeah,
1303
01:08:32,274 --> 01:08:34,110
everything you could imagine.
1304
01:08:34,151 --> 01:08:37,196
We had to drop a lot of issues
1305
01:08:37,238 --> 01:08:40,366
and focus on amnesty as one,
1306
01:08:40,407 --> 01:08:42,535
as the main issue,
1307
01:08:42,576 --> 01:08:47,414
because we didn't want
to be charged with murder.
1308
01:08:47,456 --> 01:08:50,292
We said, as a group...
1309
01:08:52,920 --> 01:08:56,799
that we was gonna stand
in solidarity with everyone.
1310
01:08:58,551 --> 01:09:01,053
If they could not give amnesty
to everybody,
1311
01:09:01,095 --> 01:09:03,848
then we was not gonna leave
anyone in the clutch
1312
01:09:03,889 --> 01:09:06,642
or in... to take...
Or throw anybody under the bus,
1313
01:09:06,684 --> 01:09:08,269
so to speak, to take this.
1314
01:09:08,310 --> 01:09:10,271
We acted together.
1315
01:09:10,312 --> 01:09:14,108
We understood that this was us,
1316
01:09:14,150 --> 01:09:16,110
that if we didn't
stand together now,
1317
01:09:16,152 --> 01:09:18,154
we never would, and it would...
1318
01:09:18,195 --> 01:09:21,365
We would live like dogs
for the rest of our lives.
1319
01:09:23,576 --> 01:09:25,953
We understood that.
1320
01:09:25,995 --> 01:09:29,373
Did I wish that we could
somehow back away?
1321
01:09:29,415 --> 01:09:30,708
But not without amnesty.
1322
01:09:30,749 --> 01:09:31,834
How do the inmates feel
1323
01:09:31,876 --> 01:09:33,586
about the current situation?
1324
01:09:33,627 --> 01:09:36,714
A group of us were in
with the inmates.
1325
01:09:36,755 --> 01:09:39,049
We met with them.
1326
01:09:39,091 --> 01:09:42,803
- We had two and a half hours.
- Some of the people are here.
1327
01:09:42,845 --> 01:09:44,485
But we really have
nothing to say about it
1328
01:09:44,513 --> 01:09:47,975
except they are firm in their
demands, and that's it.
1329
01:09:48,017 --> 01:09:49,911
In other words, they're not
gonna let the hostages go
1330
01:09:49,935 --> 01:09:51,645
until they're granted
total amnesty.
1331
01:09:51,687 --> 01:09:53,522
That was their last position.
1332
01:09:59,111 --> 01:10:00,738
The flag at half staff
1333
01:10:00,779 --> 01:10:02,716
for the injured guard
who had died the night before
1334
01:10:02,740 --> 01:10:04,408
set the mood this morning.
1335
01:10:04,450 --> 01:10:05,802
It was clear that the troubles
of this troubled prison
1336
01:10:05,826 --> 01:10:07,661
had grown worse.
1337
01:10:07,703 --> 01:10:10,664
That Sunday, you had
that fog that came over,
1338
01:10:10,706 --> 01:10:13,083
and it was a certain chill
in the air.
1339
01:10:13,125 --> 01:10:15,628
You know, something
didn't feel right.
1340
01:10:15,669 --> 01:10:17,963
It didn't feel right.
1341
01:10:18,005 --> 01:10:19,673
There are
strong indications tonight
1342
01:10:19,715 --> 01:10:21,508
that police will be sent
into the cell block
1343
01:10:21,550 --> 01:10:23,177
in an attempt to rescue
1344
01:10:23,219 --> 01:10:25,596
the rest of the hostages
by force.
1345
01:10:29,725 --> 01:10:31,560
Water was cut off.
1346
01:10:31,602 --> 01:10:33,854
Food was getting scarce.
1347
01:10:33,896 --> 01:10:36,190
Patience was getting short.
1348
01:10:36,232 --> 01:10:39,109
And people were totally
wondering
1349
01:10:39,151 --> 01:10:42,112
what is gonna be
the outcome of the situation.
1350
01:10:50,579 --> 01:10:52,122
There was enormous pressure,
1351
01:10:52,164 --> 01:10:55,000
and I witnessed it
as I took a breather
1352
01:10:55,042 --> 01:10:58,796
and went out
to the public space,
1353
01:10:58,837 --> 01:11:00,631
just outside the prison,
1354
01:11:00,673 --> 01:11:02,967
where a lot of
correction officers,
1355
01:11:03,008 --> 01:11:04,969
their families, troopers,
1356
01:11:05,010 --> 01:11:06,804
and other officials
were gathered together.
1357
01:11:09,181 --> 01:11:11,976
I mean, the news
was completely about that...
1358
01:11:12,017 --> 01:11:13,644
You know,
that the state troopers
1359
01:11:13,686 --> 01:11:17,648
and everybody were poised
on the top, looking in.
1360
01:11:17,690 --> 01:11:20,651
It was all about these rumors
1361
01:11:20,693 --> 01:11:23,612
that the prisoners
1362
01:11:23,654 --> 01:11:27,074
were castrating the hostages,
1363
01:11:27,116 --> 01:11:30,452
that they were torturing them,
1364
01:11:30,494 --> 01:11:32,830
and it's gonna end in bloodshed.
1365
01:11:32,871 --> 01:11:37,668
And that was the storyline
that was terrifying people.
1366
01:11:37,710 --> 01:11:39,271
Could you turn
around this way, to the camera?
1367
01:11:39,295 --> 01:11:42,381
I think I did a few interviews,
1368
01:11:42,423 --> 01:11:45,551
and the people were...
Made it very clear
1369
01:11:45,592 --> 01:11:48,220
that these are bad people
in there,
1370
01:11:48,262 --> 01:11:51,640
and they shouldn't
be doing this,
1371
01:11:51,682 --> 01:11:53,767
you know, they should
be taken care of.
1372
01:11:53,809 --> 01:11:55,453
- You know what I mean.
- They should hang them.
1373
01:11:55,477 --> 01:11:58,063
And crazy stuff.
1374
01:11:58,105 --> 01:12:00,858
I mean,
it was just really crazy.
1375
01:12:00,899 --> 01:12:03,444
It was a very hostile
environment.
1376
01:12:03,485 --> 01:12:05,779
I'd like to show them
a little brutality.
1377
01:12:05,821 --> 01:12:08,866
Is this being brutal
to us or not?
1378
01:12:08,907 --> 01:12:11,994
- Don't point that bitch at me.
- I'll stick it up your ass!
1379
01:12:12,036 --> 01:12:14,038
I'm a father of eight children,
1380
01:12:14,079 --> 01:12:15,831
and Michael is the oldest,
1381
01:12:15,873 --> 01:12:18,709
and I wouldn't want to see
any one of them die.
1382
01:12:18,751 --> 01:12:20,878
But if he is gonna die,
1383
01:12:20,919 --> 01:12:24,298
I want that whole damn thing
bombed right the hell off.
1384
01:12:26,884 --> 01:12:28,052
While the talking went on,
1385
01:12:28,093 --> 01:12:30,054
the state police
kept reinforcing.
1386
01:12:30,095 --> 01:12:32,890
At least 500 men
in and out of the walls.
1387
01:12:32,931 --> 01:12:35,309
No indication that any
of this force will be used,
1388
01:12:35,351 --> 01:12:37,644
but the police are ready.
1389
01:12:37,686 --> 01:12:39,772
Well, any time you went
1390
01:12:39,813 --> 01:12:43,692
in and out of the prison,
there was an army,
1391
01:12:43,734 --> 01:12:45,444
and they were armed
1392
01:12:45,486 --> 01:12:49,573
with every conceivable
type of weapon.
1393
01:12:49,615 --> 01:12:54,078
And it really looked like
1394
01:12:54,119 --> 01:12:56,622
they wanted to use
those weapons.
1395
01:12:56,663 --> 01:12:59,750
You had the sense
of their anger,
1396
01:12:59,792 --> 01:13:01,877
and they'd been held back,
and...
1397
01:13:05,589 --> 01:13:07,091
they wanted to move.
1398
01:13:07,132 --> 01:13:11,095
They wanted to... to attack.
1399
01:13:15,557 --> 01:13:17,893
Yeah, they were very impatient.
1400
01:13:17,935 --> 01:13:20,020
Very unhappy.
1401
01:13:20,479 --> 01:13:23,232
They were all thrown
into a situation
1402
01:13:23,273 --> 01:13:25,609
which they were
not prepared for,
1403
01:13:25,651 --> 01:13:29,822
and about which they had
basically an animosity.
1404
01:13:33,992 --> 01:13:35,786
I wish you
would take any of the men
1405
01:13:35,828 --> 01:13:37,621
that belongs to us off the roof,
1406
01:13:37,663 --> 01:13:39,748
and any of the troopers
out of here,
1407
01:13:39,790 --> 01:13:42,334
because if you get
these shaky guys shooting off
1408
01:13:42,376 --> 01:13:44,795
or getting up in a goober
over something,
1409
01:13:44,837 --> 01:13:48,298
somebody's gonna get excited,
and then we're all gonna pay.
1410
01:13:48,340 --> 01:13:50,426
Now, this is not a joke.
1411
01:13:50,467 --> 01:13:52,845
This is not a...
1412
01:13:52,886 --> 01:13:55,806
Some kind of a little tea party
we got here.
1413
01:13:55,848 --> 01:13:57,933
I just hope
that the commissioner
1414
01:13:57,975 --> 01:13:59,518
and the other people
in the committee
1415
01:13:59,560 --> 01:14:02,187
that they've gathered together
1416
01:14:02,229 --> 01:14:05,023
can come up with a solution
1417
01:14:05,065 --> 01:14:09,194
to solve these
people's problems, and ours.
1418
01:14:09,236 --> 01:14:10,988
Thank you very much.
1419
01:14:14,741 --> 01:14:17,995
Late Sunday afternoon,
1420
01:14:18,036 --> 01:14:20,330
Commissioner Oswald
and the officials
1421
01:14:20,372 --> 01:14:23,834
were prepared
and intended to retaking.
1422
01:14:25,878 --> 01:14:29,798
But I pressed Oswald
to agree to give them
1423
01:14:29,840 --> 01:14:32,342
until seven o'clock
on Monday morning.
1424
01:14:32,384 --> 01:14:35,512
By Sunday morning,
everything else had failed.
1425
01:14:35,554 --> 01:14:38,182
And so the...
1426
01:14:38,223 --> 01:14:41,310
The final shot
1427
01:14:41,351 --> 01:14:45,355
was going to be
to try to get to Rockefeller.
1428
01:14:45,397 --> 01:14:49,985
And there was a committee of
people put together to do that.
1429
01:14:50,027 --> 01:14:52,488
Good morning, Governor.
1430
01:14:52,529 --> 01:14:55,449
We wanted four friends
of the governor
1431
01:14:55,491 --> 01:14:58,160
to call him and,
"Please, as your friend,
1432
01:14:58,202 --> 01:15:00,913
let me ask you
to come to Attica.
1433
01:15:00,954 --> 01:15:02,581
Not to meet with the prisoners,
1434
01:15:02,623 --> 01:15:07,127
but to come and lay your hand
on approving these measures."
1435
01:15:07,169 --> 01:15:11,089
Sergeant Cunningham, now,
would you give us a message
1436
01:15:11,131 --> 01:15:14,343
for Governor Nelson Rockefeller?
1437
01:15:14,384 --> 01:15:15,761
I certainly would.
1438
01:15:15,802 --> 01:15:17,304
One of the recommendations is,
1439
01:15:17,346 --> 01:15:19,890
"And if he says no, I'm dead."
1440
01:15:19,932 --> 01:15:21,975
I and some of my fellow members
1441
01:15:22,017 --> 01:15:24,895
of the observers committee
felt very strongly
1442
01:15:24,937 --> 01:15:27,731
that if Governor Rockefeller
were to come to
1443
01:15:27,773 --> 01:15:30,734
and identify
with finding a solution,
1444
01:15:30,776 --> 01:15:33,862
it might have broken the logjam.
1445
01:15:33,904 --> 01:15:36,031
So I placed a call
to Governor Rockefeller
1446
01:15:36,073 --> 01:15:37,741
somewhere around three o'clock.
1447
01:15:37,783 --> 01:15:41,495
Governor, what about your
personal feelings right now?
1448
01:15:41,537 --> 01:15:44,039
On one level,
it was a Hail Mary.
1449
01:15:44,081 --> 01:15:46,959
On the other level,
it was more than a Hail Mary.
1450
01:15:47,000 --> 01:15:51,129
These were prominent people.
1451
01:15:51,171 --> 01:15:53,382
People that you would think
1452
01:15:53,423 --> 01:15:56,343
Rockefeller respected,
1453
01:15:56,385 --> 01:15:59,012
making a sincere pitch.
1454
01:15:59,054 --> 01:16:01,682
- "- Come up here.
- You don't have to go in.
1455
01:16:01,723 --> 01:16:03,559
You don't have to agree
to anything.
1456
01:16:03,600 --> 01:16:06,395
Your presence
will have meaning."
1457
01:16:06,436 --> 01:16:09,648
Maybe if he came,
that would be an opening
1458
01:16:09,690 --> 01:16:12,985
that would have allowed us
to negotiate.
1459
01:16:13,026 --> 01:16:17,406
Maybe some other negotiators
1460
01:16:17,447 --> 01:16:20,617
could be brought in
who would help the negotiation.
1461
01:16:20,659 --> 01:16:23,954
Maybe, maybe, maybe,
maybe, maybe.
1462
01:16:23,996 --> 01:16:26,832
But "no, no, no, no"
1463
01:16:26,873 --> 01:16:29,751
meant
"death, death, death, death."
1464
01:16:29,793 --> 01:16:31,461
Prisoners had been demanding
1465
01:16:31,503 --> 01:16:33,630
from the very beginning
that I come into the yard,
1466
01:16:33,672 --> 01:16:38,260
and I frankly felt that
the idea of governors...
1467
01:16:38,302 --> 01:16:40,220
Any time there was an uprising
1468
01:16:40,262 --> 01:16:42,723
or any time
there was a prisoner taken...
1469
01:16:42,764 --> 01:16:44,808
Not a prisoner,
but a hostage taken...
1470
01:16:44,850 --> 01:16:46,935
Being involved
in the negotiation...
1471
01:16:46,977 --> 01:16:48,288
The next thing would be,
"We don't want the governor.
1472
01:16:48,312 --> 01:16:49,896
We want the president."
1473
01:16:49,938 --> 01:16:51,523
Then we get to a situation
1474
01:16:51,565 --> 01:16:53,167
which is an impossible one
for this country.
1475
01:16:53,191 --> 01:16:54,860
By the time they spoke to him,
1476
01:16:54,901 --> 01:16:57,279
he had made up his mind.
1477
01:16:57,321 --> 01:17:01,074
He listened carefully,
he listened politely,
1478
01:17:01,116 --> 01:17:03,327
but by then,
he had made up his mind.
1479
01:17:05,454 --> 01:17:07,623
We didn't understand
the background
1480
01:17:07,664 --> 01:17:11,043
of his having consulted,
on an ongoing basis,
1481
01:17:11,084 --> 01:17:14,171
during those days,
with the White House.
1482
01:17:14,212 --> 01:17:17,424
The administration
in Washington encouraged Rocky
1483
01:17:17,466 --> 01:17:20,344
to take a strong,
hardline position,
1484
01:17:20,385 --> 01:17:23,013
which was unfortunate.
1485
01:17:23,055 --> 01:17:24,848
It was all a part
of President Nixon's
1486
01:17:24,890 --> 01:17:26,350
law and order agenda.
1487
01:17:37,903 --> 01:17:40,906
Rockefeller wasn't
calling the shots,
1488
01:17:40,947 --> 01:17:44,451
because he was on the phone
1489
01:17:44,493 --> 01:17:46,286
with Richard Nixon.
1490
01:17:48,580 --> 01:17:51,166
Rockefeller wanted
to be president...
1491
01:17:52,584 --> 01:17:56,505
but the word on him was
that he was too soft on crime.
1492
01:18:07,641 --> 01:18:11,728
And if he wanted
the support of Nixon
1493
01:18:11,770 --> 01:18:13,772
and the Republican Party,
1494
01:18:13,814 --> 01:18:17,943
then he needed to go along.
1495
01:18:17,984 --> 01:18:20,028
And so he wouldn't come.
1496
01:18:25,951 --> 01:18:27,202
You know, now that Rockefeller
1497
01:18:27,244 --> 01:18:28,870
wasn't coming in...
1498
01:18:31,331 --> 01:18:34,084
it's like slamming
the door on you.
1499
01:18:34,126 --> 01:18:35,752
You know, they slammed the door,
1500
01:18:35,794 --> 01:18:38,422
and we was locked in this room
and we didn't know what to do.
1501
01:18:40,048 --> 01:18:42,759
We were
to a great degree despondent
1502
01:18:42,801 --> 01:18:45,595
that we had no solution to this.
1503
01:18:45,637 --> 01:18:48,181
We didn't know what to do.
1504
01:18:48,223 --> 01:18:49,725
We made one last chance
1505
01:18:49,766 --> 01:18:52,769
to convince the inmates
to surrender.
1506
01:18:58,692 --> 01:19:01,445
That last night
in cell block D...
1507
01:19:03,363 --> 01:19:06,992
as we were trying to negotiate
1508
01:19:07,033 --> 01:19:11,747
demands that we thought
were realistic...
1509
01:19:15,167 --> 01:19:19,629
was a come-to-Jesus moment.
1510
01:19:21,256 --> 01:19:24,676
"This is what you wanted...
The demands.
1511
01:19:24,718 --> 01:19:26,803
This is what we were
able to achieve.
1512
01:19:26,845 --> 01:19:29,848
This is where we stand now.
1513
01:19:32,100 --> 01:19:34,561
I'm not gonna mislead you
1514
01:19:34,603 --> 01:19:37,773
and believe that you can
get anything better.
1515
01:19:37,814 --> 01:19:40,609
I do not believe
you can get anything better.
1516
01:19:43,195 --> 01:19:46,990
I think we have to make
a peaceful accommodation...
1517
01:19:48,909 --> 01:19:50,911
rather than be
shot down like dogs."
1518
01:19:53,288 --> 01:19:56,041
I said,
"This is what we achieved.
1519
01:19:56,082 --> 01:19:58,251
Okay?
1520
01:19:58,293 --> 01:20:00,545
And turn around and look.
1521
01:20:00,587 --> 01:20:02,672
Cell block...
You see all those guns?
1522
01:20:02,714 --> 01:20:04,883
They're just waiting to kill us.
1523
01:20:04,925 --> 01:20:07,552
- They want to kill us.
- Do you understand that?
1524
01:20:07,594 --> 01:20:10,847
They want to show
that they have the power
1525
01:20:10,889 --> 01:20:12,140
from the barrel of a gun.
1526
01:20:12,182 --> 01:20:13,342
That's what they want to do."
1527
01:20:16,728 --> 01:20:19,523
We were warned by the observers
1528
01:20:19,564 --> 01:20:23,735
that if we didn't settle
even without the amnesty,
1529
01:20:23,777 --> 01:20:27,531
they were gonna come in,
and it could get very bad.
1530
01:20:29,241 --> 01:20:32,285
And, of course, we talked
amongst ourselves,
1531
01:20:32,327 --> 01:20:36,206
and we just couldn't go
without the amnesty,
1532
01:20:36,248 --> 01:20:38,375
'cause it would have been
literally
1533
01:20:38,416 --> 01:20:41,503
sending all our leaders...
1534
01:20:41,545 --> 01:20:44,965
to the dogs, to be tortured,
1535
01:20:45,006 --> 01:20:48,927
murdered, uh,
convicted of crimes,
1536
01:20:48,969 --> 01:20:51,221
and who knows what else?
1537
01:20:51,263 --> 01:20:54,683
We had observed the organization
1538
01:20:54,724 --> 01:20:57,227
and preparation
of the troopers to enter,
1539
01:20:57,269 --> 01:21:00,146
hundreds of them,
with their shotguns,
1540
01:21:00,188 --> 01:21:04,192
just outside
the immediate area of D yard.
1541
01:21:04,234 --> 01:21:07,571
We witnessed the stationing
of sharpshooters
1542
01:21:07,612 --> 01:21:12,576
on one of the ledges
looking down into D yard.
1543
01:21:12,617 --> 01:21:16,913
Fear overtook
the observers committee.
1544
01:21:19,875 --> 01:21:21,209
It seemed like they felt
1545
01:21:21,251 --> 01:21:23,003
something was gonna happen.
1546
01:21:23,044 --> 01:21:25,505
They were more...
1547
01:21:25,547 --> 01:21:27,215
hesitant to leave.
1548
01:21:27,257 --> 01:21:28,592
They leave with a solemn mood.
1549
01:21:28,633 --> 01:21:30,176
They left us with a solemn mood.
1550
01:21:30,218 --> 01:21:33,889
It was like, "Brothers,
1551
01:21:33,930 --> 01:21:36,099
just be careful,
just take care."
1552
01:21:38,476 --> 01:21:41,271
I remember
seeing them leaving, you know,
1553
01:21:41,313 --> 01:21:44,816
and it was a scary moment
to see them leaving,
1554
01:21:44,858 --> 01:21:47,319
you know, knowing that
they wasn't coming back.
1555
01:21:50,947 --> 01:21:53,116
I remember Big Black saying,
1556
01:21:53,158 --> 01:21:56,119
"I want to thank you
for what you guys tried to do.
1557
01:21:56,161 --> 01:21:57,746
We really appreciate it."
1558
01:21:57,787 --> 01:22:00,457
So there was a lot of that.
1559
01:22:00,498 --> 01:22:03,084
When we went out of that yard
that night...
1560
01:22:05,003 --> 01:22:06,963
there were tears.
1561
01:22:07,005 --> 01:22:08,256
There were tears.
1562
01:22:10,592 --> 01:22:13,470
And I think all of us
were hoping
1563
01:22:13,511 --> 01:22:17,849
that something happened
at the last minute to stop it.
1564
01:22:19,935 --> 01:22:23,563
I felt complete failure.
1565
01:22:23,605 --> 01:22:27,984
A failure
that I had let them down.
1566
01:22:28,026 --> 01:22:31,321
One of the most painful things
1567
01:22:31,363 --> 01:22:34,157
is when inmates began to...
1568
01:22:34,199 --> 01:22:36,660
hand me written notes,
1569
01:22:36,701 --> 01:22:39,913
the telephone number of their...
1570
01:22:39,955 --> 01:22:44,376
Of their next of kin,
1571
01:22:44,417 --> 01:22:46,461
in case they didn't make it.
1572
01:22:46,503 --> 01:22:47,504
Okay?
1573
01:22:47,545 --> 01:22:50,465
They wanted me... I mean,
1574
01:22:50,507 --> 01:22:53,468
a couple of them looked me
in the eye with tears.
1575
01:22:53,510 --> 01:22:55,971
"Brother Jones,
if I don't make it,
1576
01:22:56,012 --> 01:22:57,180
you're gonna call, right?"
1577
01:22:57,222 --> 01:22:59,933
I said, "You have my word.
1578
01:22:59,975 --> 01:23:02,394
I will call."
1579
01:23:02,435 --> 01:23:04,980
Are you any way optimistic
1580
01:23:05,021 --> 01:23:07,190
that this thing can be settled
by sometime tomorrow?
1581
01:23:07,232 --> 01:23:08,650
I think I'm much too tired
1582
01:23:08,692 --> 01:23:10,276
to be either optimistic
or pessimistic.
1583
01:23:10,318 --> 01:23:13,363
At the moment,
I'm kind of just freaked out.
1584
01:23:24,541 --> 01:23:26,501
It rained all night.
1585
01:23:26,543 --> 01:23:28,878
It didn't stop raining
till about
1586
01:23:28,920 --> 01:23:31,214
six in the morning.
1587
01:23:31,256 --> 01:23:34,884
Cold, mountain rain.
1588
01:23:34,926 --> 01:23:37,554
And we were not prepared for it.
1589
01:23:37,595 --> 01:23:40,598
Those little hooches
that we had,
1590
01:23:40,640 --> 01:23:44,561
them tents that people had dug
the yard up and everything,
1591
01:23:44,602 --> 01:23:46,688
all them started collapsing.
1592
01:23:46,730 --> 01:23:50,859
And you had to get
on solid ground,
1593
01:23:50,900 --> 01:23:54,404
concrete, and huddle together,
1594
01:23:54,446 --> 01:23:57,699
'cause everybody was shivering
and everything else.
1595
01:23:57,741 --> 01:23:59,284
It was a miserable night.
1596
01:23:59,325 --> 01:24:03,413
One of the miserable-est nights
I ever spent in my life.
1597
01:24:05,915 --> 01:24:07,667
I could feel
the tension in the air.
1598
01:24:07,709 --> 01:24:09,461
The tension was so strong
1599
01:24:09,502 --> 01:24:13,298
that I could just basically
grab it and hold on to it.
1600
01:24:13,339 --> 01:24:16,593
- "- Am I gonna make it?
- Am I gonna live through this?"
1601
01:24:16,634 --> 01:24:20,055
And that tension was so strong,
I could touch it,
1602
01:24:20,096 --> 01:24:22,265
I could cut
and hold it in my hand.
1603
01:24:24,976 --> 01:24:26,936
Death was written in the air.
1604
01:24:31,983 --> 01:24:34,110
We've been
out there for about four days.
1605
01:24:34,152 --> 01:24:35,945
We wake up that morning,
1606
01:24:35,987 --> 01:24:39,032
and it's wet and dreary
out there.
1607
01:24:39,074 --> 01:24:41,409
And you could always smell
1608
01:24:41,451 --> 01:24:44,412
the fumes of guys' body
1609
01:24:44,454 --> 01:24:46,581
in that trench
that we dug in the yard
1610
01:24:46,623 --> 01:24:50,085
to use the bathroom,
right there in front of us,
1611
01:24:50,126 --> 01:24:52,587
so you breathing this shit in
all day, so you want out.
1612
01:24:56,549 --> 01:24:58,426
The weather was really bad.
1613
01:24:58,468 --> 01:25:01,554
People's moods was that way,
and, uh...
1614
01:25:01,596 --> 01:25:03,223
it was cloudy.
1615
01:25:03,264 --> 01:25:05,183
It started to rain a little bit.
1616
01:25:05,225 --> 01:25:07,685
- You know, it was dark.
- The sky was dark gray.
1617
01:25:12,315 --> 01:25:13,608
We heard that we would be part
1618
01:25:13,650 --> 01:25:16,486
of a medical evacuation.
1619
01:25:16,528 --> 01:25:19,114
And early on Monday morning,
1620
01:25:19,155 --> 01:25:21,491
we loaded into trucks
and headed for Attica prison.
1621
01:25:24,702 --> 01:25:26,722
In the three years that I was
in the National Guard,
1622
01:25:26,746 --> 01:25:29,124
I had not seen
any kind of action
1623
01:25:29,165 --> 01:25:31,668
in which violence was involved.
1624
01:25:31,709 --> 01:25:34,003
But we had a sense of dread,
1625
01:25:34,045 --> 01:25:37,632
and we had a wish
that we could kind of not go.
1626
01:25:37,674 --> 01:25:40,301
And there was the hope,
even at the last minute,
1627
01:25:40,343 --> 01:25:43,555
that by some miracle,
1628
01:25:43,596 --> 01:25:45,807
maybe Rockefeller
would intervene.
1629
01:25:48,726 --> 01:25:51,521
His refusal
to come here is a monstrosity,
1630
01:25:51,563 --> 01:25:53,022
because what he is saying is,
1631
01:25:53,064 --> 01:25:56,192
- "- Kill these men.
- I have no concern.
1632
01:25:56,234 --> 01:25:59,571
All I want to do
is restore law and order."
1633
01:25:59,612 --> 01:26:02,198
And I think that's
a rotten exchange for lives.
1634
01:26:03,867 --> 01:26:05,994
When we got to the prison
1635
01:26:06,035 --> 01:26:08,955
and saw the lines
of state troopers
1636
01:26:08,997 --> 01:26:11,833
and deputies
with their raincoats on
1637
01:26:11,875 --> 01:26:16,171
and their weapons in hand,
they looked exhausted.
1638
01:26:16,212 --> 01:26:17,589
They had been there,
many of them,
1639
01:26:17,630 --> 01:26:20,341
for a couple of days, at least,
1640
01:26:20,383 --> 01:26:22,510
and they really didn't
look up to the task
1641
01:26:22,552 --> 01:26:23,970
that was given to them.
1642
01:26:31,144 --> 01:26:32,020
I knew they was coming in.
1643
01:26:32,061 --> 01:26:33,688
You could tell.
1644
01:26:33,730 --> 01:26:35,374
You could see them starting
to get more people.
1645
01:26:35,398 --> 01:26:36,649
I was in A block corridor.
1646
01:26:38,443 --> 01:26:39,944
All I saw was blue.
1647
01:26:43,823 --> 01:26:46,492
We got another mattress
to put up on that table
1648
01:26:46,534 --> 01:26:48,828
'cause we thought they was
gonna shoot rubber bullets.
1649
01:26:48,870 --> 01:26:52,707
And that's... that's
what the word was.
1650
01:26:55,627 --> 01:26:57,086
I thought there were gonna be
1651
01:26:57,128 --> 01:26:58,463
a real, old-fashioned
gang fight,
1652
01:26:58,504 --> 01:26:59,565
if that's what
you want to call it.
1653
01:26:59,589 --> 01:27:01,216
You know, them versus us.
1654
01:27:01,257 --> 01:27:03,485
They got those clubs, we got
a few bats and stuff in here,
1655
01:27:03,509 --> 01:27:07,096
so we're gonna... best guy win.
1656
01:27:09,933 --> 01:27:12,727
We started making preparations
1657
01:27:12,769 --> 01:27:15,480
and putting Vaseline
on every part of our bodies
1658
01:27:15,521 --> 01:27:17,106
that could be exposed to gas
1659
01:27:17,148 --> 01:27:19,776
and get burnt and stuff
like that,
1660
01:27:19,817 --> 01:27:22,153
padding ourselves with clothes.
1661
01:27:26,199 --> 01:27:27,760
Some brothers saying,
"If they come in here,
1662
01:27:27,784 --> 01:27:29,494
then that's good,
because I know my shit."
1663
01:27:32,205 --> 01:27:34,374
It became apparent to me
1664
01:27:34,415 --> 01:27:37,669
that the situation
was seriously deteriorating,
1665
01:27:37,710 --> 01:27:40,463
and that the inmates,
many of whom are confined
1666
01:27:40,505 --> 01:27:43,007
to this
maximum-security facility
1667
01:27:43,049 --> 01:27:46,386
under life and long sentences,
1668
01:27:46,427 --> 01:27:50,765
were not going to participate
in reasonable negotiation.
1669
01:27:50,807 --> 01:27:54,894
Tensions within the walls
have steadily increased.
1670
01:27:54,936 --> 01:27:57,647
The action now underway
1671
01:27:57,689 --> 01:28:00,900
was initiated
with extreme reluctance,
1672
01:28:00,942 --> 01:28:03,069
only after all attempts
1673
01:28:03,111 --> 01:28:07,323
to achieve
a peaceful solution failed.
1674
01:28:09,284 --> 01:28:11,536
We were told that
our mission was protection
1675
01:28:11,577 --> 01:28:13,162
for the medical battalion.
1676
01:28:13,204 --> 01:28:16,582
During the commander's
briefing, we were told that,
1677
01:28:16,624 --> 01:28:20,878
to our knowledge,
the inmates had no guns.
1678
01:28:20,920 --> 01:28:24,716
They had spears,
they had some knives,
1679
01:28:24,757 --> 01:28:28,386
they had pipes
that they were using as clubs,
1680
01:28:28,428 --> 01:28:31,055
but that was the extent
of the threat.
1681
01:28:31,097 --> 01:28:32,807
So we knew that going in.
1682
01:28:35,018 --> 01:28:37,353
10:05 a.m., September 13.
1683
01:28:37,395 --> 01:28:40,356
We're on the roof of A block,
1684
01:28:40,398 --> 01:28:43,276
waiting for the assault
to begin.
1685
01:28:43,318 --> 01:28:46,779
This is a team
of .270 rifle shooters.
1686
01:28:46,821 --> 01:28:48,865
The center of our picture
1687
01:28:48,906 --> 01:28:53,578
is men distributing baseball
bats to the other prisoners.
1688
01:28:53,619 --> 01:28:56,622
- We had no guns.
- We had no real weapons.
1689
01:28:56,664 --> 01:29:01,210
We had bullshit pieces of stick
or a piece of iron
1690
01:29:01,252 --> 01:29:05,631
or a shank that somebody made,
rubbing it on the sidewalk.
1691
01:29:05,673 --> 01:29:07,550
It was... it was pathetic.
1692
01:29:08,676 --> 01:29:11,054
Just four days
almost to the minute
1693
01:29:11,095 --> 01:29:13,556
after the convict insurrection
started.
1694
01:29:13,598 --> 01:29:16,059
State police, reinforced
by sheriff's deputies,
1695
01:29:16,100 --> 01:29:17,727
National Guardsmen,
1696
01:29:17,769 --> 01:29:20,355
and correction officers
moving in on the prison.
1697
01:29:20,396 --> 01:29:22,732
Time is 1:55 p.m.
1698
01:29:22,774 --> 01:29:25,401
We're on the roof of C block,
1699
01:29:25,443 --> 01:29:28,946
looking at a detail
of .270 marksmen,
1700
01:29:28,988 --> 01:29:33,826
with instructions to clear
the catwalks upon command.
1701
01:29:33,868 --> 01:29:36,037
They took some of the hostages
1702
01:29:36,079 --> 01:29:38,664
on top of the catwalks,
1703
01:29:38,706 --> 01:29:40,792
which is on top of the hallways,
1704
01:29:40,833 --> 01:29:44,921
and some of the inmates
held knives to their neck,
1705
01:29:44,962 --> 01:29:49,634
as an... in an effort
to try to stop the assault.
1706
01:29:49,675 --> 01:29:51,594
The hostages are on the catwalks
1707
01:29:51,636 --> 01:29:53,805
with knives at their throats.
1708
01:29:53,846 --> 01:29:57,058
It was all just a show
1709
01:29:57,100 --> 01:29:59,060
to try to get them to say,
"Oh, wait a minute!
1710
01:29:59,102 --> 01:30:00,728
That's my cousin, my brother."
1711
01:30:00,770 --> 01:30:03,189
All these guards...
1712
01:30:03,231 --> 01:30:05,274
we were hopeful
that if they saw this,
1713
01:30:05,316 --> 01:30:09,153
they would back off
and try to renegotiate
1714
01:30:09,195 --> 01:30:11,072
so they could protect
their own people.
1715
01:30:13,533 --> 01:30:16,744
The notion of sending in
1716
01:30:16,786 --> 01:30:19,080
correctional officers,
1717
01:30:19,122 --> 01:30:22,125
who didn't love the prisoners
to begin with,
1718
01:30:22,166 --> 01:30:24,836
and state police,
who were stressed out,
1719
01:30:24,877 --> 01:30:26,629
was a serious miscalculation.
1720
01:30:26,671 --> 01:30:29,006
Somebody should have said,
"Wait a second, wait a second.
1721
01:30:29,048 --> 01:30:31,759
These people are on edge.
1722
01:30:31,801 --> 01:30:34,137
There's hostility.
1723
01:30:37,348 --> 01:30:40,393
It's gonna get out of control."
1724
01:30:40,435 --> 01:30:42,728
We know that now.
1725
01:30:42,770 --> 01:30:45,189
Did we know that in real time?
1726
01:30:47,567 --> 01:30:49,652
I guess not.
1727
01:30:52,321 --> 01:30:56,826
I seen this as a glorious fight.
1728
01:30:56,868 --> 01:30:59,787
They would come in with batons
and stuff like that,
1729
01:30:59,829 --> 01:31:02,832
and we would be fighting
1730
01:31:02,874 --> 01:31:04,917
the brave battle
with baseball bats
1731
01:31:04,959 --> 01:31:06,419
and stuff like that.
1732
01:31:06,461 --> 01:31:08,004
I...
1733
01:31:19,223 --> 01:31:20,433
I just...
1734
01:31:25,813 --> 01:31:27,690
I just never expected...
1735
01:31:29,901 --> 01:31:31,694
the carnage
that would actually happen.
1736
01:31:31,736 --> 01:31:33,070
I'm sorry.
1737
01:31:48,461 --> 01:31:50,004
Here come the helicopters.
1738
01:31:50,046 --> 01:31:53,382
They are now heading
for the prison.
1739
01:31:55,301 --> 01:31:57,428
One of the large
army helicopters
1740
01:31:57,470 --> 01:31:59,096
now going overhead
and over the wall,
1741
01:31:59,138 --> 01:32:00,389
into the prison.
1742
01:32:02,266 --> 01:32:05,978
It just gets quiet,
and the sky was getting dark.
1743
01:32:06,020 --> 01:32:07,813
And then we heard
the helicopters.
1744
01:32:07,855 --> 01:32:10,441
- And I said, "Damn, man.
- This is fucking strange."
1745
01:32:14,612 --> 01:32:17,323
The helicopter
comes up over the wall,
1746
01:32:17,365 --> 01:32:18,991
and it's hovering over the yard.
1747
01:32:23,204 --> 01:32:26,082
I seen this...
I thought it was a monster.
1748
01:32:26,123 --> 01:32:28,668
It was a helicopter,
a green helicopter,
1749
01:32:28,709 --> 01:32:30,253
and it was flying low.
1750
01:32:35,091 --> 01:32:37,677
And you see this...
1751
01:32:37,718 --> 01:32:40,721
It's like a sickly green gas
1752
01:32:40,763 --> 01:32:44,600
with sparkly stuff in it,
coming down.
1753
01:32:44,642 --> 01:32:46,852
It tightens your chest
1754
01:32:46,894 --> 01:32:48,980
where you can hardly breathe.
1755
01:32:49,021 --> 01:32:52,191
That gas knocked me down.
1756
01:32:52,233 --> 01:32:55,152
I don't know what that was.
1757
01:32:55,194 --> 01:32:57,905
And it had me so weak
I could not move.
1758
01:32:57,947 --> 01:33:01,409
Your eyes are just all burning.
1759
01:33:01,450 --> 01:33:03,995
- Your nose is burning.
- Your mouth is burning.
1760
01:33:04,036 --> 01:33:05,162
Place your hands
1761
01:33:05,204 --> 01:33:07,331
on top of your head
1762
01:33:07,373 --> 01:33:10,668
and surrender to an officer.
1763
01:33:10,710 --> 01:33:14,046
You will not be harmed.
1764
01:33:14,088 --> 01:33:17,258
Place your hands
on top of your head.
1765
01:33:17,300 --> 01:33:18,968
And they got on the microphone.
1766
01:33:19,010 --> 01:33:22,722
"Everybody in D block yard,
put your hands in the air,
1767
01:33:22,763 --> 01:33:24,599
and you will not be harmed."
1768
01:33:24,640 --> 01:33:27,643
"Go to the nearest
state police officer,
1769
01:33:27,685 --> 01:33:29,478
and you will not be harmed."
1770
01:33:29,520 --> 01:33:32,648
- "You will not be harmed."
- "You will not be harmed."
1771
01:33:32,690 --> 01:33:35,443
"You will not be harmed."
But that was bullshit.
1772
01:33:44,368 --> 01:33:46,412
And dudes were standing up
doing this
1773
01:33:46,454 --> 01:33:48,914
and getting blown away.
1774
01:33:48,956 --> 01:33:52,293
They blew a dude's head off,
and I'm looking at it.
1775
01:33:52,335 --> 01:33:53,753
And it's all of a sudden,
1776
01:33:53,794 --> 01:33:57,673
there was all this popping
all around us.
1777
01:33:57,715 --> 01:33:59,842
And all these little pops
all around us
1778
01:33:59,884 --> 01:34:01,636
were actually bullets.
1779
01:34:01,677 --> 01:34:04,680
- Surrender.
- You will not be harmed.
1780
01:34:04,722 --> 01:34:07,767
And you couldn't really see
because the CO2 pepper gas
1781
01:34:07,808 --> 01:34:09,977
had you blind,
1782
01:34:10,019 --> 01:34:13,314
but you can hear the bullets
going by your head.
1783
01:34:13,356 --> 01:34:14,857
You will not be harmed.
1784
01:34:17,360 --> 01:34:19,820
The hostages can't be seen now.
1785
01:34:19,862 --> 01:34:22,657
Surrender peacefully.
1786
01:34:22,698 --> 01:34:24,367
And I'm just trying
to stay on the ground,
1787
01:34:24,408 --> 01:34:26,535
as low as possible.
1788
01:34:26,577 --> 01:34:28,996
It was just like they was
shooting down in a barrel.
1789
01:34:29,038 --> 01:34:30,557
They just started shooting
point blank range,
1790
01:34:30,581 --> 01:34:32,541
blowing guys away.
1791
01:34:32,583 --> 01:34:34,710
I got shot in the arm up there.
1792
01:34:34,752 --> 01:34:36,752
Right through the back
of my fucking arm and stuff.
1793
01:34:40,091 --> 01:34:43,302
You will not be harmed.
1794
01:34:43,344 --> 01:34:47,556
I felt something go through
my head, at my skull,
1795
01:34:47,598 --> 01:34:50,893
and it was burning,
and I knew I was shot.
1796
01:34:50,935 --> 01:34:53,854
I felt something hit my arm,
1797
01:34:53,896 --> 01:34:55,898
and my arm went numb,
1798
01:34:55,940 --> 01:34:58,651
and I realized later
I had got shot in the left arm,
1799
01:34:58,693 --> 01:35:00,361
about two inches from my heart.
1800
01:35:00,403 --> 01:35:03,572
And I saw one kid,
he had a football helmet on.
1801
01:35:03,614 --> 01:35:05,074
Spanish kid.
1802
01:35:05,116 --> 01:35:07,868
Now, the guards
was up on the catwalk,
1803
01:35:07,910 --> 01:35:10,746
and he jumps out with a hammer
and throws it up,
1804
01:35:10,788 --> 01:35:13,040
and it hits the catwalk,
1805
01:35:13,082 --> 01:35:14,709
and you could hear
the sound... clink...
1806
01:35:14,750 --> 01:35:17,461
And all of them turned,
looked at him,
1807
01:35:17,503 --> 01:35:19,505
and all of them
turned their guns on him.
1808
01:35:19,547 --> 01:35:22,007
And they just riddled
that boy's body.
1809
01:35:22,049 --> 01:35:25,219
I'm assuming he got shot
anywhere from 20 to 50 shots,
1810
01:35:25,261 --> 01:35:27,304
'cause his body
was just doing like that.
1811
01:35:27,346 --> 01:35:28,848
Like, I never seen
no shit like that.
1812
01:35:28,889 --> 01:35:30,766
I seen some nasty shit
in the streets.
1813
01:35:30,808 --> 01:35:32,893
I never seen nothing like that.
1814
01:35:32,935 --> 01:35:36,230
You will not be harmed.
1815
01:35:36,272 --> 01:35:38,774
Place your hands
on top of your head.
1816
01:35:38,816 --> 01:35:41,068
This was a holiday
for the police.
1817
01:35:41,110 --> 01:35:44,113
We ain't got no guns
to shoot back.
1818
01:35:44,155 --> 01:35:45,781
You know what it is
to shoot somebody
1819
01:35:45,823 --> 01:35:47,366
and they can't shoot back?
1820
01:35:47,408 --> 01:35:49,660
That's... that's a holiday.
1821
01:35:49,702 --> 01:35:51,203
Lord have mercy.
1822
01:35:51,245 --> 01:35:54,123
And all they was saying was,
"Save me a nigger."
1823
01:35:55,833 --> 01:35:58,586
That's what they was hollering
to each other.
1824
01:35:58,627 --> 01:36:01,630
I was scared.
1825
01:36:01,672 --> 01:36:04,300
I've done bad things,
but I never did shit this bad.
1826
01:36:04,341 --> 01:36:06,844
I said, "Now, these guys
1827
01:36:06,886 --> 01:36:09,805
are real fucking
cold-blooded killers and shit."
1828
01:36:12,016 --> 01:36:15,728
Until that moment came...
1829
01:36:15,770 --> 01:36:17,938
where the killing
really started,
1830
01:36:17,980 --> 01:36:20,274
when I realized that,
1831
01:36:20,316 --> 01:36:22,693
"You're not that fucking
bad guy no more, man.
1832
01:36:22,735 --> 01:36:24,004
These motherfuckers
is worse than you."
1833
01:36:24,028 --> 01:36:27,239
Every bullet that whizzed by me
1834
01:36:27,281 --> 01:36:31,994
or hit the mud close to me,
I winced.
1835
01:36:36,081 --> 01:36:38,667
Then all of a sudden,
it just stopped.
1836
01:36:38,709 --> 01:36:40,711
Surrender to an officer.
1837
01:36:42,588 --> 01:36:45,925
You will not be harmed.
1838
01:36:53,474 --> 01:36:57,394
There are people
throwing off their smoke gear.
1839
01:36:57,436 --> 01:37:01,190
They ran out screaming,
"Niggers, niggers, niggers,"
1840
01:37:01,232 --> 01:37:04,985
and two of them
pointed their guns at me,
1841
01:37:05,027 --> 01:37:07,780
saying, "Niggers, niggers,"
and I said, "Don't shoot.
1842
01:37:07,822 --> 01:37:10,699
Don't shoot. Don't shoot,"
while I'm coughing.
1843
01:37:10,741 --> 01:37:13,202
We've all been gassed.
1844
01:37:13,244 --> 01:37:16,872
- I've been gassed.
- It's an awful scene.
1845
01:37:16,914 --> 01:37:21,168
William Kunstler has said
1846
01:37:21,210 --> 01:37:23,712
that people are dying in there,
and...
1847
01:37:25,631 --> 01:37:27,132
and I agree with that.
1848
01:37:27,174 --> 01:37:28,902
I think that there are people
dying in there.
1849
01:37:28,926 --> 01:37:32,304
The shooting went on forever.
1850
01:37:32,346 --> 01:37:35,850
And then it was like
the shooting subsided,
1851
01:37:35,891 --> 01:37:38,435
and then I heard some...
1852
01:37:38,477 --> 01:37:40,980
After the big shooting subsided,
1853
01:37:41,021 --> 01:37:43,399
I heard some single shots.
1854
01:37:43,440 --> 01:37:47,570
Bang! And bang!
1855
01:37:55,744 --> 01:37:58,330
After they took over the prison,
1856
01:37:58,372 --> 01:38:02,167
all those folks that had been
speaking to the cameras
1857
01:38:02,209 --> 01:38:05,796
were all targeted and tortured.
1858
01:38:05,838 --> 01:38:08,883
So, yes, yes, yes, yes,
they were targeted.
1859
01:38:11,302 --> 01:38:16,181
L.D. Barkley,
they were calling his name,
1860
01:38:16,223 --> 01:38:19,184
going through that fog,
looking for him,
1861
01:38:19,226 --> 01:38:20,978
and threatening him
1862
01:38:21,020 --> 01:38:23,689
with what they were gonna
do to him
1863
01:38:23,731 --> 01:38:25,357
when they found him.
1864
01:38:25,399 --> 01:38:26,942
And they found him.
1865
01:38:26,984 --> 01:38:31,155
And he was yelling, "No, no,"
1866
01:38:31,196 --> 01:38:33,198
but it's too fucking late;
they had him then.
1867
01:38:33,240 --> 01:38:35,743
I seen them dragging him
towards the A block
1868
01:38:35,784 --> 01:38:38,454
far yard over there.
1869
01:38:38,495 --> 01:38:40,414
He was hollering and screaming.
1870
01:38:40,456 --> 01:38:41,707
And they killed him.
1871
01:38:53,010 --> 01:38:56,513
You can't see it,
because the gas is so thick.
1872
01:38:56,555 --> 01:38:57,973
But all of a sudden,
1873
01:38:58,015 --> 01:39:00,476
a puff of wind comes
1874
01:39:00,517 --> 01:39:03,270
and disperses the gas,
1875
01:39:03,312 --> 01:39:05,648
and then I could see.
1876
01:39:05,689 --> 01:39:07,274
And what I saw was frightening.
1877
01:39:09,485 --> 01:39:13,614
Hundreds of bodies
just laying there.
1878
01:39:13,656 --> 01:39:16,241
- Some were moaning.
- Some wasn't moving.
1879
01:39:16,283 --> 01:39:17,952
Blood was everywhere.
1880
01:39:23,791 --> 01:39:26,085
We were given stretchers
1881
01:39:26,126 --> 01:39:29,296
and told to go into the prison.
1882
01:39:29,338 --> 01:39:31,465
It was really
an unthinkable scene.
1883
01:39:31,507 --> 01:39:33,801
It was dead and wounded,
1884
01:39:33,842 --> 01:39:35,678
and simply starting
to carry them out.
1885
01:39:37,721 --> 01:39:41,225
It was far beyond
anything I had imagined
1886
01:39:41,266 --> 01:39:44,269
when they said we would
be doing medical evacuation.
1887
01:39:44,311 --> 01:39:48,899
We were basically civilians
put into a situation
1888
01:39:48,941 --> 01:39:51,235
where state trooper
and correction officers
1889
01:39:51,276 --> 01:39:53,112
had created a war zone.
1890
01:39:55,239 --> 01:39:59,284
There was a pile of bodies,
maybe eight or ten people,
1891
01:39:59,326 --> 01:40:02,579
and the man on top
had had his eyes shot out.
1892
01:40:25,060 --> 01:40:27,646
Right below us,
there was a huge pool
1893
01:40:27,688 --> 01:40:31,859
of rainwater,
and it was blood red.
1894
01:40:31,900 --> 01:40:36,655
And I looked down at it,
and I said,
1895
01:40:36,697 --> 01:40:38,907
"Those are false teeth
down there, aren't there?"
1896
01:40:38,949 --> 01:40:40,576
And somebody said, "Yeah."
1897
01:40:44,663 --> 01:40:46,707
The attitude of the people
1898
01:40:46,749 --> 01:40:49,543
who should have been concerned
1899
01:40:49,585 --> 01:40:51,420
about what had happened
1900
01:40:51,462 --> 01:40:56,216
was simply that they were
pleased with what had happened,
1901
01:40:56,258 --> 01:40:59,928
and had no qualms
or second thoughts
1902
01:40:59,970 --> 01:41:01,597
or anything but satisfaction.
1903
01:41:03,265 --> 01:41:05,893
Walker wants to go back.
1904
01:41:11,732 --> 01:41:13,942
- White power!
- White power!
1905
01:41:13,984 --> 01:41:16,737
- Hey!
- White power!
1906
01:41:21,950 --> 01:41:24,286
They had control,
1907
01:41:24,328 --> 01:41:26,121
and once they had control,
1908
01:41:26,163 --> 01:41:29,625
you would think that things
would have stopped.
1909
01:41:29,666 --> 01:41:31,126
They didn't.
1910
01:41:34,505 --> 01:41:35,964
It was clear that,
1911
01:41:36,006 --> 01:41:37,966
at that point,
it was all about revenge.
1912
01:41:38,008 --> 01:41:40,010
It was all about reestablishing
1913
01:41:40,052 --> 01:41:41,595
who was in charge
1914
01:41:41,637 --> 01:41:43,597
in the most
violent ways possible.
1915
01:41:52,523 --> 01:41:54,942
Everybody had
to crawl through shit.
1916
01:41:54,983 --> 01:41:56,652
Human waste.
1917
01:42:00,531 --> 01:42:02,825
But what do you do?
1918
01:42:02,866 --> 01:42:05,953
Do you live to tell your story,
like I'm doing today,
1919
01:42:05,994 --> 01:42:08,497
or do you fucking die?
1920
01:42:08,539 --> 01:42:10,165
- I made a choice.
- I wanted to live.
1921
01:42:14,670 --> 01:42:18,882
- "- Crawl, nigger, crawl.
- Crawl. Like a dog."
1922
01:42:23,303 --> 01:42:24,847
"If you look up, nigger,
1923
01:42:24,888 --> 01:42:27,015
I'll blow your
motherfucking brains out."
1924
01:42:28,642 --> 01:42:32,020
What the fuck they care
about calling you a nigger?
1925
01:42:32,062 --> 01:42:35,357
That was your name that day.
1926
01:42:35,399 --> 01:42:38,193
They had us marching around
the yard with our...
1927
01:42:38,235 --> 01:42:41,822
With our hands interlocked
like this, on top of our heads.
1928
01:42:41,864 --> 01:42:43,574
Abject surrender.
1929
01:42:56,461 --> 01:42:59,131
When I saw these naked bodies
1930
01:42:59,173 --> 01:43:02,426
lined up,
snaked around the area,
1931
01:43:02,467 --> 01:43:07,139
it reminded me of portrayals
of African Americans
1932
01:43:07,181 --> 01:43:09,683
being herded onto slave ships.
1933
01:43:09,725 --> 01:43:11,351
It was just horrendous.
1934
01:43:11,393 --> 01:43:13,395
It was just horrible, horrible.
1935
01:43:23,780 --> 01:43:25,240
And we're naked
1936
01:43:25,282 --> 01:43:27,409
in the middle
of the fucking yard,
1937
01:43:27,451 --> 01:43:30,412
guards going around
with, like, baby bats.
1938
01:43:30,454 --> 01:43:32,414
They was shoving them up
guys' asses.
1939
01:43:32,456 --> 01:43:33,832
I'm laying here,
1940
01:43:33,874 --> 01:43:35,918
and I'm hoping
they don't come my way.
1941
01:43:49,389 --> 01:43:52,517
Frank Smith,
Big Black, was put on a table
1942
01:43:52,559 --> 01:43:54,728
with a football
under his throat.
1943
01:43:59,024 --> 01:44:00,734
People stood up above him
1944
01:44:00,776 --> 01:44:03,237
on the catwalk,
aiming their guns down at him,
1945
01:44:03,278 --> 01:44:06,949
throwing cigars
and cigarette butts on him,
1946
01:44:06,990 --> 01:44:08,367
and they said,
1947
01:44:08,408 --> 01:44:10,118
"If that football falls, nigger,
1948
01:44:10,160 --> 01:44:11,745
we're gonna shoot you."
1949
01:44:15,040 --> 01:44:17,417
He was told to get to his feet.
1950
01:44:17,459 --> 01:44:20,295
- He tried. He stumbled.
- He fell.
1951
01:44:20,337 --> 01:44:22,464
He was hit with clubs
1952
01:44:22,506 --> 01:44:26,051
on his back, between his legs.
1953
01:44:26,093 --> 01:44:29,638
And he was crying out, you know,
1954
01:44:29,680 --> 01:44:31,974
- "- Don't do this.
- Don't do this."
1955
01:44:32,015 --> 01:44:34,142
And then you could hear him
screaming
1956
01:44:34,184 --> 01:44:37,187
as he went up
through the prison.
1957
01:44:42,359 --> 01:44:45,612
It felt good that
I had survived this shit.
1958
01:44:45,654 --> 01:44:48,657
And now, I gotta look out,
1959
01:44:48,699 --> 01:44:51,076
because some more shit
is coming.
1960
01:44:57,291 --> 01:44:59,793
The inmates were entering
these corridors
1961
01:44:59,835 --> 01:45:04,506
off of the yard,
and the guards were,
1962
01:45:04,548 --> 01:45:07,843
like, five or six feet apart,
with their clubs.
1963
01:45:07,884 --> 01:45:11,096
And they would hit them
against the walls.
1964
01:45:11,138 --> 01:45:14,933
And there was just
this dull drum-like sound.
1965
01:45:14,975 --> 01:45:16,685
And then they were
hitting the inmates
1966
01:45:16,727 --> 01:45:18,812
as they ran a gauntlet.
1967
01:45:23,108 --> 01:45:25,736
We could hear the screams
coming out,
1968
01:45:25,777 --> 01:45:29,281
so that we knew that
they were being tortured,
1969
01:45:29,323 --> 01:45:33,785
and that we were somehow part
of this unthinkable scene,
1970
01:45:33,827 --> 01:45:35,704
that there was no escaping from,
1971
01:45:35,746 --> 01:45:37,539
but was completely wrong.
1972
01:45:41,251 --> 01:45:43,170
They had guards on both sides,
1973
01:45:43,211 --> 01:45:45,714
and they would be hitting you
as you were running through,
1974
01:45:45,756 --> 01:45:48,300
beating you with hoses
and batons
1975
01:45:48,342 --> 01:45:50,093
and whatever they had
in their hands.
1976
01:45:50,135 --> 01:45:52,012
I'm ducking,
trying to get through,
1977
01:45:52,054 --> 01:45:53,597
protecting my head.
1978
01:45:53,638 --> 01:45:55,432
My shoulders got hit,
all on my arms,
1979
01:45:55,474 --> 01:45:58,018
- my elbows, my knees.
- They still hurt.
1980
01:45:58,060 --> 01:46:01,188
Beating you after making you
run through the gauntlet,
1981
01:46:01,229 --> 01:46:03,166
where they took all the glass
out the fucking windows
1982
01:46:03,190 --> 01:46:04,816
and put it
in the middle of the floor,
1983
01:46:04,858 --> 01:46:06,461
so you had to run through glass
with bare feet.
1984
01:46:06,485 --> 01:46:08,945
Nobody came out of that yard
1985
01:46:08,987 --> 01:46:11,740
with... with... picking...
1986
01:46:11,782 --> 01:46:14,409
Without having to pick glass
out of your feet for weeks.
1987
01:46:16,078 --> 01:46:19,581
- Couldn't walk.
- Nobody can walk anymore.
1988
01:46:19,623 --> 01:46:22,125
But we had to run,
because if you didn't run,
1989
01:46:22,167 --> 01:46:24,419
they just kept beating you
with these clubs.
1990
01:46:34,054 --> 01:46:35,764
The families of the hostages,
1991
01:46:35,806 --> 01:46:39,601
a lot of them waited
just outside the prison wall.
1992
01:46:39,643 --> 01:46:43,105
They're gonna get him out.-
1993
01:46:43,146 --> 01:46:45,941
Then news began
to filter out of Attica.
1994
01:46:45,982 --> 01:46:49,194
Names of freed hostages were
called out to the loved ones.
1995
01:46:49,236 --> 01:46:50,612
Bob Curtis! Lieutenant Curtis.
1996
01:46:50,654 --> 01:46:52,072
Curtis!
1997
01:46:52,114 --> 01:46:55,367
Al Robbin. Al Robbin.
1998
01:46:57,953 --> 01:47:00,038
Some didn't see
their men come out.
1999
01:47:00,080 --> 01:47:01,873
All they learned was the name
of the hospital
2000
01:47:01,915 --> 01:47:03,875
where the survivors
were being treated.
2001
01:47:03,917 --> 01:47:07,003
- There was no time to wait.
- They ran off to see their men.
2002
01:47:10,590 --> 01:47:13,135
Some people couldn't seem
to run fast enough.
2003
01:47:17,389 --> 01:47:18,348
My mom came home,
2004
01:47:18,390 --> 01:47:19,891
and she was with her sister,
2005
01:47:19,933 --> 01:47:22,185
and my mom was crying,
obviously upset.
2006
01:47:25,397 --> 01:47:27,441
I was outside,
sitting on the front porch,
2007
01:47:27,482 --> 01:47:30,735
- you know, praying and worrying.
- And "where's Dad?"
2008
01:47:30,777 --> 01:47:32,696
I expected him
to show up, you know.
2009
01:47:32,737 --> 01:47:35,282
And, um, I kept,
2010
01:47:35,323 --> 01:47:37,993
"Mom, Mom, where's Dad?
2011
01:47:38,034 --> 01:47:40,245
- What's... why are you crying?
- What's going on?"
2012
01:47:40,287 --> 01:47:44,166
When my mother came back
in the house, and, you know,
2013
01:47:44,207 --> 01:47:46,710
she said...
Now she had to fight with me...
2014
01:47:46,751 --> 01:47:49,004
Argue, I mean, you know,
2015
01:47:49,045 --> 01:47:50,547
because I didn't want
to believe it.
2016
01:47:50,589 --> 01:47:52,757
And she finally said,
2017
01:47:52,799 --> 01:47:57,262
"I saw him. I saw him!"
2018
01:48:01,183 --> 01:48:02,601
Finally, she blurted it out.
2019
01:48:02,642 --> 01:48:05,395
"Your father's dead."
2020
01:48:05,437 --> 01:48:07,105
So I ran.
2021
01:48:10,609 --> 01:48:13,612
I ran for a while,
and I came back,
2022
01:48:13,653 --> 01:48:15,155
and I was sitting
on the front porch,
2023
01:48:15,197 --> 01:48:18,241
trying to be strong and not cry,
2024
01:48:18,283 --> 01:48:21,161
and I could hear everybody
in the house crying.
2025
01:48:21,203 --> 01:48:24,039
And I was trying
to be so tough, and...
2026
01:48:31,922 --> 01:48:34,716
- I'm sorry.
- God damn it.
2027
01:48:49,940 --> 01:48:51,316
The National Guardsmen were told
2028
01:48:51,358 --> 01:48:53,610
to get back in their trucks,
2029
01:48:53,652 --> 01:48:56,947
and we did that and were
taken out to the parking area.
2030
01:48:56,988 --> 01:48:59,699
And a colonel then addressed
the battalion,
2031
01:48:59,741 --> 01:49:02,244
maybe several hundred men.
2032
01:49:02,285 --> 01:49:04,329
And he said, essentially,
2033
01:49:04,371 --> 01:49:09,125
"You saw things that were
excessive and wrong today,
2034
01:49:09,167 --> 01:49:12,921
and I have to ask you
not to speak of this to anyone,
2035
01:49:12,963 --> 01:49:15,257
because the world
will not understand
2036
01:49:15,298 --> 01:49:17,092
what happened here today."
2037
01:49:19,511 --> 01:49:21,096
The most violent rebellion
2038
01:49:21,137 --> 01:49:22,556
in modern American penal history
2039
01:49:22,597 --> 01:49:24,391
came to an end today
2040
01:49:24,432 --> 01:49:26,643
at the maximum-security prison
in Attica, New York.
2041
01:49:26,685 --> 01:49:27,912
In the final hours
of the revolt,
2042
01:49:27,936 --> 01:49:29,771
led primarily by Blacks,
2043
01:49:29,813 --> 01:49:32,649
the inmates murdered nine
of their white hostages.
2044
01:49:32,691 --> 01:49:34,734
28 convicts were killed
by state troopers
2045
01:49:34,776 --> 01:49:36,027
and sheriff's deputies,
2046
01:49:36,069 --> 01:49:38,238
who regained control
of the prison.
2047
01:49:38,280 --> 01:49:40,160
The storming of the prison
had the full approval
2048
01:49:40,198 --> 01:49:41,866
of New York's
Governor Rockefeller,
2049
01:49:41,908 --> 01:49:43,994
who earlier had rejected
a prisoner demand
2050
01:49:44,035 --> 01:49:45,829
for complete clemency.
2051
01:49:45,870 --> 01:49:48,832
The White House said that,
after the prison was retaken,
2052
01:49:48,873 --> 01:49:50,834
President Nixon
telephoned the governor
2053
01:49:50,875 --> 01:49:53,712
to express his approval
of Rockefeller's action.
2054
01:50:46,514 --> 01:50:48,808
Yesterday,
officials at the prison
2055
01:50:48,850 --> 01:50:52,187
said eight of the hostages
had had their throats cut.
2056
01:50:52,228 --> 01:50:54,731
But today, the Monroe County
medical examiner,
2057
01:50:54,773 --> 01:50:56,691
having looked at the bodies,
2058
01:50:56,733 --> 01:50:59,110
said no throats were cut at all.
2059
01:50:59,152 --> 01:51:01,154
The Medical Examiner
says the hostages
2060
01:51:01,196 --> 01:51:04,491
were apparently killed
by large-caliber ammunition
2061
01:51:04,532 --> 01:51:07,327
and shotgun blasts,
from a distance,
2062
01:51:07,369 --> 01:51:09,537
which immediately raised
the possibility
2063
01:51:09,579 --> 01:51:12,707
that some of the hostages may,
in fact, have been shot down
2064
01:51:12,749 --> 01:51:16,002
by the lawmen who broke in
to rescue them.
2065
01:51:16,044 --> 01:51:19,381
Some of the hostages
were actually shot
2066
01:51:19,422 --> 01:51:21,716
running towards
the state troopers,
2067
01:51:21,758 --> 01:51:24,552
thinking,
"I'm saved. I'm saved."
2068
01:51:25,261 --> 01:51:28,765
And the hostages were dressed
the same way the inmates were.
2069
01:51:30,767 --> 01:51:33,144
Anything that had
inmate garb on it,
2070
01:51:33,186 --> 01:51:35,480
they just started
shooting at you.
2071
01:51:38,108 --> 01:51:40,694
What Rockefeller had done
2072
01:51:40,735 --> 01:51:45,657
was treat the hostages
2073
01:51:45,699 --> 01:51:50,745
as no more real,
live human beings
2074
01:51:50,787 --> 01:51:54,874
who deserved to be respected
than the prisoners.
2075
01:51:54,916 --> 01:51:59,379
And so you kill them all,
and you restore order,
2076
01:51:59,421 --> 01:52:04,342
and you make me
into a major figure
2077
01:52:04,384 --> 01:52:07,137
who believes in law and order
2078
01:52:07,178 --> 01:52:10,181
at a time when that concept
2079
01:52:10,223 --> 01:52:14,269
is beginning
to really take hold.
2080
01:52:37,167 --> 01:52:40,628
It should have ended
in a negotiated settlement.
2081
01:52:40,670 --> 01:52:42,130
No, they weren't interested
in that.
2082
01:52:42,172 --> 01:52:44,257
They were interesting in showing
2083
01:52:44,299 --> 01:52:46,009
the naked fist of power.
2084
01:52:46,050 --> 01:52:49,220
Law and order.
2085
01:52:49,262 --> 01:52:50,489
The national mindset
of the nation
2086
01:52:50,513 --> 01:52:53,057
was law and order.
2087
01:52:53,099 --> 01:52:57,061
And law and order
does not permit
2088
01:52:57,103 --> 01:53:00,440
any challenge
2089
01:53:00,482 --> 01:53:02,984
to its authority whatsoever.
2090
01:53:03,026 --> 01:53:05,111
God willing, a few more months,
in January,
2091
01:53:05,153 --> 01:53:07,655
I'll be 90 years old.
2092
01:53:07,697 --> 01:53:10,658
I will never, ever, ever, ever,
2093
01:53:10,700 --> 01:53:15,580
ever, ever, ever forget Attica.
2094
01:53:15,622 --> 01:53:19,417
Ever.
2095
01:53:19,459 --> 01:53:23,963
It didn't have to be that way.
2096
01:54:06,422 --> 01:54:09,342
All eight cases
2097
01:54:09,384 --> 01:54:13,429
died of gunshot wounds.
2098
01:54:13,471 --> 01:54:16,349
There was no evidence
of slashed throats.
2099
01:54:38,538 --> 01:54:40,498
I've never received an apology.
2100
01:54:41,833 --> 01:54:43,501
I've never received an apology,
2101
01:54:43,543 --> 01:54:44,983
and for me,
that's a pretty big deal.
2102
01:54:46,963 --> 01:54:50,758
So come
2103
01:54:50,800 --> 01:54:53,553
To me
2104
01:54:53,595 --> 01:54:57,181
What does money do
when you don't have your dad,
2105
01:54:57,223 --> 01:54:59,601
or your brother, or your uncle?
2106
01:55:02,770 --> 01:55:05,857
How does that replace anything?
2107
01:55:05,899 --> 01:55:09,819
And I think it was
the state's way of saying,
2108
01:55:09,861 --> 01:55:11,321
"We're gonna give you
this money,
2109
01:55:11,362 --> 01:55:13,156
and we want you to go away."
2110
01:55:13,197 --> 01:55:18,077
Beyond the blue
2111
01:55:18,119 --> 01:55:21,831
Then my
2112
01:55:21,873 --> 01:55:25,919
True love
2113
01:55:25,960 --> 01:55:30,924
Will come shining through
2114
01:55:30,965 --> 01:55:32,592
For nearly 30 years,
2115
01:55:32,634 --> 01:55:35,553
former Attica inmates
have waited for justice.
2116
01:55:35,595 --> 01:55:37,305
Today, it finally came
2117
01:55:37,347 --> 01:55:40,558
in the form
of a $12 million settlement.
2118
01:55:40,600 --> 01:55:43,353
- And be
- And be
2119
01:55:43,394 --> 01:55:45,980
My love
2120
01:55:46,022 --> 01:55:48,900
There was never justice.
2121
01:55:48,942 --> 01:55:50,902
All we got was money.
2122
01:55:50,944 --> 01:55:53,446
And money wasn't enough.
2123
01:55:53,488 --> 01:55:55,031
Then you can't justify
all the killings
2124
01:55:55,073 --> 01:55:56,658
that happened in Attica.
2125
01:55:56,699 --> 01:55:58,451
You can't justify it.
2126
01:55:58,493 --> 01:56:01,079
- And so there's no justice.
- There was never justice.
2127
01:56:01,120 --> 01:56:04,165
The sun
2128
01:56:04,207 --> 01:56:08,169
Will shine
2129
01:56:08,211 --> 01:56:12,006
Beyond
2130
01:56:12,048 --> 01:56:15,760
The blue
2131
01:56:15,802 --> 01:56:19,472
Then my
2132
01:56:19,514 --> 01:56:23,309
True love
2133
01:56:23,351 --> 01:56:28,189
Will come shining through
2134
01:56:30,566 --> 01:56:35,071
- So come
- So come to me
2135
01:56:35,113 --> 01:56:37,532
On bended knee
2136
01:56:37,573 --> 01:56:41,077
- And be
- And be
2137
01:56:41,119 --> 01:56:44,872
My love
2138
01:56:44,914 --> 01:56:49,293
- For as long
- For just as long, baby
2139
01:56:49,335 --> 01:56:52,714
As you are mine
2140
01:56:52,755 --> 01:56:55,133
I know the sun
2141
01:56:55,174 --> 01:56:58,469
Will shine
171409
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