1971

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.

By 1971 the FBI had placed at least one informant in every Black Panther Party chapter. COINTELPRO operations forged letters to create lethal rivalries between the Panthers and US Organization, resulting in killings. Key leaders were imprisoned or exiled. FBI director Hoover called the Panthers 'the greatest threat to internal security.' Membership collapsed from a peak of 5,000.

By 1971 the FBI had placed at least one informant in every Black Panther Party chapter. COINTELPRO operations forged letters creating lethal rivalries between the Panthers and US Organization. Key leaders were imprisoned or exiled. Membership collapsed from a peak of 5,000.

The Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI broke into the FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania, stealing over 1,000 documents revealing COINTELPRO operations against Black student unions and civil rights organizations. Documents distributed to journalists forced public awareness of FBI domestic spying.

The Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI broke into the FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania, stealing over 1,000 documents that revealed COINTELPRO operations, including surveillance of Black student unions and civil rights organizations. The documents were distributed to journalists, forcing public awareness of FBI domestic spying programs.

In Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld busing, racial balance ratios, and gerrymandered attendance zones as tools to dismantle segregated school systems. The decision was a legal victory but triggered fierce white political backlash, fueling anti-busing movements in cities including Boston, Louisville, and Detroit.

Black Panther field marshal and Soledad Brother author George Jackson, 29, was shot and killed by guards at San Quentin State Prison during what authorities called an escape attempt. Three guards and two white prisoners were also killed. Critics argued Jackson was assassinated; he had been convicted at 18 for a $70 gas station robbery.

Attica prisoners issued 28 demands including removal of Superintendent Vincent Mancusi, transport to a 'non-imperialist country' for those fearing prosecution, complete amnesty, and living wages for prison labor. The demands reflected Black Power ideology and drew national attention to prison conditions. Rockefeller rejected amnesty.

New York civil rights organizations documented in the early 1970s that NYPD stop-and-frisk practices under New York's 1964 law overwhelmingly targeted Black and Latino men, with over 80% of those stopped being non-white. The practice operated with virtually no oversight.

New York civil rights organizations documented in the early 1970s that NYPD stop-and-frisk practices under New York's 1964 stop-and-frisk law overwhelmingly targeted Black and Latino men. Studies showed over 80% of those stopped were non-white. The practice, legally authorized by Terry v. Ohio (1968), operated with virtually no oversight and generated widespread community grievances.

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover officially terminated COINTELPRO on April 28, 1971, following the Media, Pennsylvania document theft. However, successor programs continued under different designations. The FBI continued monitoring and disrupting Black political organizations including the Black Panther Party under routine counterintelligence authority.

Jesse Jackson founded People United to Save Humanity (Operation PUSH) in Chicago on Christmas Day 1971 after leaving the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. PUSH focused on economic empowerment and negotiating corporate covenants with major companies to increase Black employment and investment in Black communities.

A campaign later admitted by aides to have targeted Black communities and the antiwar left.

Prisoners seize Attica demanding humane conditions; the state retakes it with deadly force.

The Supreme Court upholds busing to desegregate schools.