Fifty years ago today, hundreds of people incarcerated at the Attica Correctional Facility in New York took control of the prison, issuing a set of demands for freedom, wages, education access, medical care, and more. 
After 4 days, the National Guard retook the prison by force, leading to the deaths of at least 43 people. With such a tragic outcome, Attica became a national symbol both of prisoners’ organizing for liberation and the repression of law enforcement, prison guards, and the state.
In their declaration, the incarcerated people of Attica made demands that bear a chilling resemblance to what we are still calling for today. Carceral spaces have never been safe, and the impact the system makes on poor communities and Black and Brown people is immeasurable.
Health care is inadequate and difficult to access, the trauma of confinement itself takes a toll on the physical and mental health of those who are incarcerated, and violations of human rights are rampant.
Like many other structural issues, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how the risks to which incarcerated people are exposed increase exponentially.
In light of the 50th anniversary of this moment in history, we stand by our call to #FreeThemAll.
In light of the 50th anniversary of this moment in history, we stand by our call to #FreeThemAll.
We must center the voices of currently and formerly incarcerated and detained people and their families and communities. We must advocate for the expedient release of anyone who is eligible for the sake of public health and their human dignity.
We must remove policing elements from our schools and end the criminalization of children. We must guarantee essential needs and services for people during and after incarceration.
We must invest resources, not in furthering a system that polices and cages people, but in addressing the root causes of harm and violence through education, housing, mental health treatment, and other forms of transformative justice. This is a call, from #Attica to #abolition.
Learn more about Attica's legacy and its impact on AFSC's work in a special livestream today (Sep. 9) at 4pm ET. Join at afsc.org/fblive.
Top photo: Community art exhibit, "From Attica to Abolition," Mary Zerkel / AFSC.
Top photo: Community art exhibit, "From Attica to Abolition," Mary Zerkel / AFSC.
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