To Live as People or Die Like Men: Attica

In 1971, a group of people cast aside by the state rose up and attempted to reclaim their humanity and political subjectivity. This week, we look at the Attica Prison Uprising to see what that event might tell us about the relationship between politics, law and violence.

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THIS WEEK IN VIOLENCE – Ground Zero

The first in a weekly series of posts where I share recent articles that have caught my attention and some brief commentary, along with some broader musings on the nature of violence. 

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Our theme song is ‘Dream Weapon’ by Genghis Tron
Artwork is provided courtesy of KT Kobel

Sources:

‘15 Practical Proposals of Attica Prisoners’ (1971), People’s Law Office

The Attica Liberation Faction Manifesto of Demands and Anti-Depression Platform (1971), Freedom Archives

Traci Curry & Stanley Nelson (Dir., 2021), Attica

Fred Ferretti (Sept. 13, 1971), ‘Attica Prisoners Win 28 Demands, but Still Resist’, New York Times

Brad Lichtenstein (Dir., 2001), Ghosts of Attica

Charlotte Rosen (May 26, 2025), ‘How Should We Remember Attica?’, The Nation

Wendy Sawyer, ‘How much do incarcerated people earn in each state?’ (2017), Prison Policy Initiative

Heather Ann Thompson (2021), Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy

Image: Participants in the Attica Prison Uprising raise their fists during a negotiating session on Friday, September 10, 1971 (AP)