123 The Attica Prison Rebellion
This week on From the Vault, we look at the bloodiest prison confrontation in American history. September 9th, 1971 marked the beginning of the Attica Prison Rebellion. Nearly 1500 prisoners revolted and held 40 guards hostage, while the world awaited the reason for this uprising.
Prisoner L.D. Barkley would break the silence, by reading from a manifesto the inmates had created, which issued demands for improvements on inhumane living conditions as well as establishing educational and training opportunities. Four days of negotiations ended and New York State Police and National Guard troops assaulted the rebel prison block. When the smoke cleared the death toll stood at 43 souls, including 10 hostages. Pacifica’s coverage of these five chilling days brought into focus a world largely unknown to the American public.
The roots of the Attica crisis can be traced to conditions inside the prison that very few people were aware of, unless they spent time behind Attica’s gates or listened to Pacifica Radio’s coverage. In this episode, we will feature archival recordings of an exceptionally rare and comprehensive nature: interviews with prisoners leading the revolt, like L.D. Barkley and Donald Noble; comments by New York State Assembly member Arthur Eve, representing the 143rd district of Buffalo; statements by various prison guards held hostage in the uprising; reflections from radical lawyer and civil rights activist William Kunstler; and the sharp wit of comedian Richard Pryor (edited for language, of course!). These Attica Prison rebellion recordings from the Pacifica Radio Archives provide a unique look back at a seminal event in United States history – largely ignored by the conventional media in 1971, wholly reported and explored by Pacifica Radio, and brought back to life on this episode of From the Vault.
From the Vault is presented as part of the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project.
LISTEN to this episode.
Click here to purchase a copy of this program or learn more about and purchase copies of the historic archival recordings used within this episode. To purchase a CD copy of this program by phone, please call Pacifica Radio Archives at 800.735.0230 x 262.
Click here to send an email to From the Vault.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
