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Unresolved

New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot (Part Three: The Devil's Butcher Shop)

Unresolved

Unresolved Productions

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.52.6K Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2018

⏱️ 54 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On February 3rd, 1980, the riot at the New Mexico State Pen carried on into its second full day. Negotiations continued, but with a handful of prison guards still captive, the inmates were holding most of the leverage.

Eventually, a peace would be brokered and order would be restored to the penitentiary. The facility itself, though, was in total disarray, and the expensive cleanup effort that followed would prove costly (not only financially, but emotionally).

In the months and years that followed, the story would continue to plague the region. After-effects of the riot would be felt for years to come, and many still question certain aspects of it...



Part three of three



Written, hosted, and produced by Micheal Whelan

Learn more about this podcast at unresolved.me

If you would like to support this podcast and others, consider heading to patreon.com/unresolvedpod to become a Patron



Music Credits

Graham Bole - "Lurking"

Blue Dot Sessions - "Arbinac"

Percival Pembroke - "Op. 10 Sigma Variations (Excerpt)"

ROZKOL - "If These"

ROZKOL - "Palaver"

Borrtex - "The Undertake"

Rotten Bliss - "Lighthouse"

Rest You Sleeping Giant - "Moss"

Other music written and composed by Ailsa Traves

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Will interest rates change again?

0:02.0

What's new where I live?

0:04.0

Whatever the question, Google helps people in the UK access reliable news on a wide range of stories.

0:11.0

Learn more at g.co-supportingnews-uk

0:15.0

This episode features descriptions of physical and sexual violence.

0:20.0

Listener discretion is advised.

0:31.0

As the sun rose on February 3rd, 1980, it cast an ominous glow over the New Mexico state penitentiary.

0:44.0

A large gated facility right on the outskirts of Santa Fe.

0:48.0

Smoke continued to spill out of the facility, but it appeared as if the fires inside were finally burning down.

0:54.0

However, an unmistakable odor continued to hang in the air, which many of the inmates, law enforcement, authorities, and prison officials would be unable to shake in the years to come.

1:06.0

Surrounding the prison were dozens upon dozens of National Guardsmen and police officers who had established a perimeter.

1:13.0

Armed with rifles and other munitions, they were prepared to maintain order should push come to shove.

1:19.0

Throughout the night, many of them had stood vigil, waiting for the men inside the prison to attempt anything.

1:25.0

They had received conflicting reports about whether they were to storm the prison that Sunday, but for the time being, they just had to wait and see.

1:33.0

In the courtyard of the penitentiary were hundreds of men, prisoners that had either escaped out of the building itself, or been moved out because of injuries they had obtained.

1:42.0

The prior night, they had been given thin blankets meant to provide some semblance of warmth, but they had to huddle together inside the cramped accommodations allowed them until the violent uprising that turned their housing units into disarray was ended.

1:56.0

Inside the prison were the last remnants of a vicious prison riot that had taken an untold number of lives.

2:02.0

And still held more than a handful of prison guards captive.

2:06.0

Prison officials were waiting until sunrise to continue their negotiations, but they were eager for this act of rebellion to be a thing of the past.

2:14.0

Eventually, it would. The riot would eventually be brought to a close, but many questions, as well as consequences of this brutal violence, continue to linger to this day.

2:26.0

This is part three of the New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot.

2:36.0

Welcome to Unresolved. I'm your host, Michael Wheelan. This episode is the third and final part of my take on the New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot.

...

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