Attica CF civilian employees killed in 1971 Riot A Virtual Cemetery created by: Nanette Kurgan Stine
Description: It began on Thursday, September 9, 1971. More than 1,200 Attica inmates gained control of the facility in a well-planned, savage attack. During the initial violence, 50 correctional officers and civilian employees were brutally beaten and taken hostage. Demands were made by the prisoners, but after four days of fruitless negotiation and the death of one of the correctional officers, the command was given to retake the prison and rescue the hostages. With National Guard helicopters flying overhead, administering chemical agents, a rescue force of nearly 200 New York State police officers and two correctional officers stormed the facility. The entire rescue operation lasted just several minutes, but it was filled with terror and bloodshed. When it was over, 10 hostages were dead, along with 32 inmates.
