The New York Times – The Lingering Injustice of Attica – linocut

Friday September 9, 2011: commissioned and published linoleum cut illustration by the New York Times, Op-Ed “The Lingering Injustice of Attica “ by Dr. Heather Ann Thompson.

Excerpt

” Within 15 minutes the Attica State Correctional facility was littered with bloody bodies and the air filled with the screams and cries of these dead, dying, and severely wounded inmates as well as hostages. That, however, was only the beginning of the horror. As September 13th went on, and as the state of New York went before the nation as stated falsely that the inmates, not its troopers, had murdered Attica’s hostages, Attica’s wounded inmates who had not been killed in the initial retaking were then tortured in ways unimaginable.”

“Today, 40 years after this ugly massacre and the equally brutal acts that followed it, the State of New York has still not acknowledged that it was responsible for what happened at Attica. It has never admitted that it used excessive force. It has never acknowledged that its troopers shot unarmed inmates and guard hostages, killing 39 of them and severely wounding hundreds of others. Without that acknowledgment, without an apology, without those who actually committed murder at Attica taking responsibility, Attica lives on. Not only is it ever-present for those who experienced the nightmare personally, but the legacy of Attica’s retaking still stains the nation as a whole.” More to read […]

New York Times, front page, web version – right, Attica riot linocut detail

Attica riot – New York Times Website page – Sept.9. 2011

Attica prison riots – linocut cutting in progress 2 — Sept. 8, 2011

_printing process.

Feedbacks :

Shelly writes:

“Thanks for sending this Raymond. The work has tremendous dynamism and strength. Several months before the Attica riots, while I was a graduate student at McGill, I visited the facility; what still stands out in my mind is how tall and sturdily-built all the staff were, even the social workers! I don’t think I met anyone who was less than 6’ 5”. Your lino-cut is a powerful reminder of how giant-like everyone seemed and how raw power infused the place. Best regards…Shelly”

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