Resources
ATTICA PRISON UPRISING 101: A SHORT PRIMER By Mariame Kaba, Project NIA
New York State Department of Law Attica Class Action Litigation Files
This 2011 primer, by Mariame Kaba, is not intended to be a curriculum guide, but a brief primer for educators and organizers. It includes a timeline of events (with primary sources); testimonies from Attica prisoners; poetry by Attica prisoners; sample activities for youth; and other suggested resources
This series consists of documents pertaining to the class action lawsuit filed against state officials or their estates in 1974 by inmate survivors of the Attica Correctional Facility uprising of 1971. The bulk of the documents pertain to the case of Akil Al-Jundi, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs vs. The Estate of Nelson A. Rockefeller, Russell Oswald, John Monahan, Vincent Mancusi and Karl Pfeil, Defendants. This case was eventually heard in United States District Court for the Western District of New York in 1991 and following federal appeals court reversals of jury verdicts rendered in 1992 and 1997, was ultimately settled in January of 2000. While the state failed to admit wrongdoing or liability for injuries sustained by inmates during the retaking of the facility, the plaintiffs were awarded $8 million in compensation. Records in the series include hearing transcripts, trial excerpts, exhibits, court filings, news articles, and other items documenting the prolonged legal action that resulted from the controversial decision to retake the facility by force.
The New York State Police Videos
The New York State Police carefully documented the events of September 1971 at the Attica Correctional Facility in a series of films and videos. The original films and video dubs remain restricted, but duplicate user copies have been made available at the New York State Archives and have been extensively used in several documentary productions on Attica. Here, with the cooperation of the New York State Archives, we present the entire film/video (and audio track) recordings made at Attica by the New York State police. Courtesy of Attica Revisited.
Photographs
Elizabeth Fink Collection. This collection contains images of the Attica rebellion. Many were taken during the prison uprising and just after the storming of the prison by state troopers. Warning. There are images of violence and nudity in this collection. Courtesy of Attica Revisited.