NEW YORK — Some 300 people attended a Sept. 12 commemoration here of the 1971 uprising and massacre at the Attica prison in upstate New York. The 55th anniversary event, held at the Schomburg Library in Harlem, was sponsored by the New York chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.
Inmates at the notorious prison united in the uprising to protest conditions that included chronic overcrowding, one shower a week, and one roll of toilet paper a month. “We are men. We are not beasts and we do not intend to be beaten or driven as such,” they proclaimed. They demanded an end to brutality, to racism, to censorship of their mail, as well as an end to wretched and demeaning living conditions.
New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller’s response was tear gas and a barrage of gunfire. Police fired indiscriminately, killing 29 prisoners and 10 guards the inmates had taken hostage and wounding 89 more.
The highlight of the program was a panel that featured eight men who had participated in the uprising, from left — Carlos Roche, Jorge “Che” Nieves, Eddie LeShure, Alhajji Sharif, Lawrence “Akil” Shakur, Arthur “Bobby” Harrison, Daniel Sheppard and Melvin Muhammad.
The Attica brothers, as they refer to themselves, described where they were during the uprising, how they participated, and the lasting impact that fight had on their lives. Many spoke of the unity they forged in spite of the efforts of the prison authorities to divide them, pitting Black, Latino and Caucasian against each other. “We did become brothers regardless of creed, class and color,” Muhammad said in his concluding remarks.