Attica Prison Uprising and State Assault Kill 43

On September 9, 1971, 1,281 inmates seized Attica Correctional Facility in New York, demanding humane conditions and political rights. Governor Nelson Rockefeller ordered a military assault on September 13. Thirty-three inmates and 10 hostages died — all hostage deaths caused by state gunfire, not inmates. Rockefeller refused to negotiate in person.