Attica Prison Riot - 43 PEOPLE KILLED INCLUDING 10 HOSTAGES

On September 9, 1971, approximately 1,000 inmates at Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York seized control of the prison, taking 42 staff members hostage. The prisoners issued demands for better living conditions and political rights. After four days of negotiations, Governor Nelson Rockefeller ordered state police to retake the facility by force. In the assault, 29 inmates and 10 hostage-civilian employees were killed, nearly all by police gunfire. The Attica riot became a rallying point for prison reform and remains one of the deadliest prison uprisings in U.S. history.

Day-by-day timeline of the Attica Prison Riot:

Thursday, September 9, 1971: The Uprising Begins
Morning: Inmates overpower guards in Times Square, a central tunnel intersection inside the prison.
Midday: Over 1,200 inmates take control of D-Yard and hold 42 guards and civilian employees hostage.
Evening: Inmates form a negotiating committee and release their initial list of demands for basic human rights.

Friday, September 10, 1971: Negotiations Begin
Morning: The Observers Committee—including journalists, politicians, and activists—arrives to help negotiate.
Afternoon: Inmates demand amnesty from criminal prosecution and the removal of the prison superintendent.
Night: State Corrections Commissioner Russell Oswald enters the yard to negotiate directly with the inmates.

Saturday, September 11, 1971: The Standoff Intensifies
Daytime: Commissioner Oswald delivers a counterproposal accepting 28 administrative reforms but denies complete amnesty.
Afternoon: Injured guard William Quinn dies in the hospital from injuries sustained on day one, escalating criminal liabilities.
Evening: Inmates refuse the state's terms, declaring that amnesty is a non-negotiable requirement for releasing hostages.

Sunday, September 12, 1971: The Ultimatum
Morning: Governor Nelson Rockefeller refuses the Observers Committee's urgent request to come to Attica to help mediate.
Afternoon: National Guard and state police forces mass outside the prison walls in full combat gear.
Evening: Commissioner Oswald issues a final written ultimatum to the inmates to release the hostages, which is rejected.

Monday, September 13, 1971: The Bloody Retaking
9:46 AM: A state police helicopter drops tear gas into D-Yard, blinding the inmates and hostages.
9:48 AM: Hundreds of state troopers and guards open fire into the smoke, firing thousands of rounds in under an hour.
10:30 AM: The state regains total control of the facility; 39 people are dead or dying, and four more later succumb to injuries.