'Attica': 5 chilling details Stanley Nelson's Showtime documentary will explore

Attica, Traci Curry and Stanley Nelson’s 2021 documentary on the infamous 1971 prison uprising revisits the biggest prison riot in U.S. history. It took place on the morning of September 9, 1971, due to rising tension between the guards and the inmates of the Attica Correctional Facility. The documentary combines old footage of the uprising from the archives, coupled with interviews with survivors, to shed new light on the tragic event 50 years ago.

Attica has been exclusively screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2021 and will debut on Showtime on November 6, 2021. Ahead of its release, here is a look at five chilling details that Attica will explore.

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What is 'Attica'?

The Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison located in western New York, consisting of mostly black and brown inmates. At the time of the uprising, the rural prison had an all-white correctional staff for 2,234 inmates, most of whom were black or brown.

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Events preceding the uprising

The New York commissioner of corrections, Russell Oswald, was sent a letter with a list of 28 demands, signed by five inmates calling themselves the Attica Liberation Faction, ahead of the uprising. Oswald acknowledged and promised to consider the demands. However, tensions continued to escalate as angry inmates grew frustrated with their living conditions each passing day, with no word from the commissioner regarding any reform. Overcrowding, poor living standards, and mistreatment of prisoners had simmered into anger which eventually triggered the 1971 uprising.

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The beginning of the riot

The riot started at the central hub, Times Square, of the prison, where prisoners began banging on the gate at Times Square. The gate gave away, and the prisoners seized the guards and took control of the prison. They put the guards in prison uniforms to confuse anybody who would try to retake power from them.

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The ghastly uprising

On September 9, 1971, inmates at the Attica prison had enough of the daily torture they were subjected to, and they rebelled. One thousand two hundred inmates took over the prison, taking 42 people, including civilians, hostage. The conflict escalated, and after five days, 29 inmates and ten hostages were dead when the New York State Police retook the facility by force.

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Documentations of the uprising

The Attica uprising was not some half-baked ploy for escape conducted by the prisoners. It was a coordinated attack upon a system that had been dehumanizing prisoners for years. The filmmakers found New York State police surveillance footage that reveals the inhuman conditions the inmates lived in. They also had news footage and interviews with journalists who were allowed to film. There's also audio of president Richard Nixon talking about the racial elements of the uprising.

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In the wake of rising police brutality and trending movements like Blue Lives Matter, it has become essential to reinvestigate white supremacy and institutionalized racism that still haunts America today. Though the uprising was curbed under the guise of enforcing law and order, the underlying agenda of white supremacy that it perpetrated is no secret. Nelson’s new docu-film attempts to examine not just what happened but also why it happened, turning the focus on the real perpetrators of the horrifying event. Don’t miss Attica 2021 premiering on Showtime on November 6, 2021.