The first of two panel discussions considering the Attica prison uprising and New York prisons today will be held on April 15.
Matt Davies and Michael Wier, IC politics students, invite the Ithaca community to their first "Violence: From the Walls" panel discussion on Thursday, April 15, 7:30 p.m. in Williams Hall. This panel will present the perspective of prisoners in the Attica prison uprising in 1971 and the significance of the uprising and retaking of the prison for the conditions in New York State prisons today.
The second panel will present the perspective of the guards and their families on Thursday, April 22, in Textor 103 at 7:30 p.m.
These programs are sponsored by the IC politics and sociology departments and the H&S honors program.
Michael Wier explains, "Eleven New York correctional employees and 29 prisoners were killed by New York State trooper gunfire in the retaking of the prison. Prisoners revolted in response to oppressive conditions and unfair treatment in September 1971."
The title of the first panel is: "WE are MEN! We are not beasts and do not intend to be beaten and driven as such." This title is based on a statement by Elliot Barley, who had been a spokesman for the prisoners and was killed in the retaking.
Panelists include two survivors of the Attica massacre, Robin Palmer and Arthur "Bobby" Harrison, as well as Joe Heath and Tom Terrizzi, attorneys who have represented Attica prisoners. Robin Palmer was an activist against U.S. policy in Viet Nam and currently produces and hosts the TV show For the Duration for Channel 13 in Ithaca. Bobby Harrison works with troubled youth in Syracuse and is a community activist dedicated to confronting racism in its many forms. Joe Heath is one of the four lawyers who handled the civil rights suit for the Attica prisoners. He worked on this case from 1971 until 2001, when the state finally agreed to give $12 million to the Attica brothers. He has worked on many social justice issues, including challenging police brutality and misconduct, defending battered women and abused and neglected children, and representing the legal claims of the Onondaga Nation and other Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) nations.
Tom Terrizzi is the executive director of Prisoners' Legal Serivces of New York, which provides civil and legal services to indigent prisoners in New York State's 70 prisons. PLS was created in 1976 in the aftermath of the Attica riot to provide prisoners with access to the courts as a way to effectively address their grievances regarding prison conditions. Tom has litigated extensively on behalf of prisoners in state and federal courts on a many issues dealing with prison conditions.
For more information about the "Violence from the Walls," a multi-faceted research project, or more biographical information about the speakers, contact Michael Wier, or Matt Davies.
Contributed by Beth Harris
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20040409154744881