“We are men. We are not beasts and we do not intend to be beaten or driven as such... What has happened here is but the sound before the fury of those who are oppressed.” These words were spoken during the 1971 Attica Prison Rebellion by one of its leaders, Elliott Barkley.
「我們是人。 我們不是野獸, 我們不想被當成野獸 來毒打或驅趕…… 這裡所發生的事, 只不過是所有被壓迫者 群起暴怒的前奏。」 這段話是 1971 年阿提卡監獄暴動時, 其中一名領袖艾略特巴克力所說的話。
At the time, Attica prison was severely overcrowded. Its majority Black and Latino population faced constant physical and verbal abuse. All prison guards were white. Some were members of white supremacist hate groups. Guards threw away letters that weren’t written in English and prohibited Muslim religious services. They punished white prisoners for fraternizing with non-white men. Prisoners were allowed one shower a week and one roll of toilet paper a month.
當時,阿提卡監獄嚴重爆滿。 監中大部分黑人及拉丁裔囚犯 經常會受到身體上和言語上的虐待。 所有的獄警都是白人。 當中有些還是白人至上 仇恨團體的成員。 獄警會把不是用英文 撰寫的信件扔掉, 並禁止穆斯林的宗教儀式。 白人囚犯如果對非白人 展現友好,就會受到懲罰。 囚犯每週只能洗一次澡, 每月只配發一捲衛生紙。
Among those imprisoned at Attica were Elliott Barkley, Frank Smith, and Herbert X. Blyden. “I’m dying here little by little every day...” Barkley wrote his mother. She contacted authorities, but nothing changed. He began writing a book about life at Attica. Meanwhile, Smith worked a position called the “warden’s laundry boy” for 30 cents day. His grandmother had been enslaved. Because Smith and others were treated as less-than-human at the will of their keepers, they viewed prison as an extension of slavery. And Blyden had participated in prison strikes and rebellions. He and others saw the violence of prison as symptomatic of a societal problem where individuals are denied justice based on their class and race. They felt people shouldn’t be stripped of their rights to health and dignity upon being sentenced. Instead, resources should go towards meeting people’s basic needs to prevent crime in the first place.
阿提卡的囚犯包括艾略特巴克力、 法蘭克史密斯,和賀伯 X. 布萊登。 「我在這裡每天一點一點地死去……」 這是巴克力給母親信中的話。 她聯絡當局,但沒有任何改變。 他開始寫書,描述 在阿提卡監獄中的生活。 至於史密斯,他的工作 是「典獄長的洗衣工」, 一天 30 分錢美金。 他的祖母曾經是奴隸。 因為守衞都不把史密斯 和其他人當人對待, 囚犯都把監獄視為奴隸制的延伸。 布萊登曾經參與過監獄罷工和反抗。 他和其他人把監獄裡的暴力 視為社會問題的徵兆, 這個問題就是:某些階級 和種族的人無法得到正義。 他們認為,即使是被判刑的人 也應該保有健康和尊嚴的權利。 資源應該用來滿足人的基本需求, 以預防犯罪發生。
In the summer of 1971, Blyden co-founded the Attica Liberation Faction. The group compiled a manifesto and petitioned Corrections Commissioner Russell Oswald and Governor Nelson Rockefeller for better treatment. Though largely ignored, they continued organizing. After activist George Jackson was killed at a California prison, 700 men at Attica participated in a silent fast.
1971 年夏天, 布萊登等人共同 成立了阿提卡解放陣營。 這個團體編寫了一份宣言, 並呈交請願書給懲教署 署長羅素奧斯沃德 及尼爾森洛克斐勒州長, 盼能得到較好的對待。 雖然多半不受到理會, 他們仍然持續組織運作。 激進人士喬治傑克森 在加州的一所監獄中被殺後, 在阿提卡有七百人進行了 一場無聲的禁食抗議。
Just weeks later, on September 9th, a spontaneous uprising began. A group of prisoners overpowered guards, sparking the Attica Rebellion. Prisoners broke windows, started fires, and captured supplies. They beat many guards. One of them, William Quinn, would die from his injuries. Soon, over 1,200 prisoners had assembled in the yard with 42 hostages, preparing to demand change. They established a medical bay, delegated men to prepare and ration food, protected and sheltered guards, and elected a negotiating committee. They appointed Blyden chief negotiator, Smith as security chief, and Barkely as a speaker.
才過了幾週後的九月九日, 發生了一場自發性的起義。 一群囚犯制服了獄警, 點燃了阿提卡暴動。 囚犯打破窗戶、縱火、奪取補給品。 他們打了許多獄警。 其中一名獄警, 威廉昆恩,傷重致死。 沒多久後,1200 餘名囚犯 在放風場集結, 抓了 42 名人質, 準備要求改變。 他們設立了醫務室, 派人準備和分配食物, 保護、安頓獄警, 並選出談判委員會。 他們任命布萊登為談判代表, 史密斯掌管保安, 巴克利為發言人。
Later that day, Barkley presented their demands to the press. When his mother saw him on TV, she was terrified. He was just days from being released. But she believed authorities would want retribution.
同一天晚些時候, 巴克利向媒體公佈他們的要求。 他的母親在電視上看到他時嚇壞了。 他只差幾天就可以出獄。 但她相信當局會想懲處他。
Over the next four days, prisoners held negotiations with officials. They called for a minimum wage, rehabilitation programs, better education, and more. They promised all remaining hostages would be safe if they were given amnesty for crimes committed during the uprising.
在接下來的四天, 囚犯和官員談判。 他們要求最低工資、更生方案、 更好的教育等等。 他們保證剩餘的人質 都不會受到傷害, 條件是赦免他們 在起義期間犯下的罪行。
Meanwhile, Governor Rockefeller began crisis talks with President Nixon. The president told his chief of staff that the rebellion should be quelled to set an example for other Black activists. Commissioner Oswald announced he’d meet a number of the demands, but refused to guarantee amnesty. Prisoners refused to surrender. As warnings of an imminent siege mounted, they threatened to kill 8 hostages if attacked. Nevertheless, Rockefeller ordered troops to retake the prison.
同時,洛克斐勒州長 和尼克森總統展開危機商談。 總統告訴他的參謀長, 應該要鎮壓叛亂, 殺雞儆猴給其他黑人激進分子看。 奧斯沃德署長宣佈 他會做到其中多項要求, 但拒絕保證赦免。 囚犯拒絕投降。 在即將受到圍攻之際, 為了發出警告, 他們威脅若受到攻擊 就會殺掉八個人質。 但洛克斐勒仍下令部隊奪回監獄。
Helicopters tear-gassed the yard. Troopers shot over 2,000 rounds of ammunition, killing 29 prisoners and 10 guards, and wounding many others. Witnesses say troopers found Barkley and shot him in the back. Officers stripped surviving men naked, tortured them, and deprived them of medical attention. Blyden was starved for days. Smith was sexually violated, burned with cigarettes, dragged into isolation, and beaten.
直升機朝放風場投擲催淚彈。 部隊擊發了至少 2000 發彈藥, 殺了 29 名囚犯、10 名獄警, 還有許多人受傷。 證人說,部隊找到了巴克利, 從他背後開槍射殺他。 生還者被脫光衣服,受到折磨, 醫療照護也被剝奮。 布萊登好幾天都沒有食物。 史密斯受到性侵, 被香菸燙傷、拖到禁閉室, 還遭毒打。
Directly after the attack, Governor Rockefeller thought prisoners were responsible for the deaths of the 10 guards. He called it “a beautiful operation.” President Nixon congratulated Rockefeller and told his chief of staff that the way to stop “radicals” was to “kill a few.” But autopsies soon confirmed that prisoners hadn’t killed any guards during the attack, as threatened. Government forces had. Nixon told Rockefeller to stand his ground.
攻擊行動結束後, 洛克斐勒州長認為囚犯 要為 10 名獄警的死負責。 他還稱此暴力鎮壓為「漂亮的行動」。 尼克森總統恭賀洛克斐勒, 並告訴他的參謀長, 阻止激進分子的方式就是殺掉幾個。 但驗屍後確認,在攻擊行動中, 囚犯威脅要殺害的獄警 都是政府軍殺的。 尼克森叫洛克斐勒堅持立場。
Those who survived the massacre continued fighting for revolutionary change. Long after being released, Smith and Blyden campaigned for social justice and prison abolition. The demands men made at Attica in 1971 remain at the core of ongoing protests— within and beyond prison walls.
那些大屠殺的倖存者 持續為了改革而奮鬥。 出獄很久以後,史密斯和布萊登 都還在發起運動, 為社會正義及廢除監獄努力。 1971 年阿提卡的人所提出的要求, 不論是監獄內或監獄外的抗議,