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It's the evening of September 2nd, 1971 at the Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York.

Across the maximum security prison, inmates head to their cells in anticipation

of an announcement they hope will change the future of the facility.

For years, Atticus inmates have felt their basic rights were being ignored and violated by the prison's administration.

Earlier this summer, a group of prisoners came together to demand better living conditions by sending a list of grievances to the head of New York's

prison system, Corrections Commissioner Russell Oswald. To their surprise,

Oswald promised to come to Attica and address their concerns in person. Today his arrival has filled inmates with a newfound sense of optimism.

As the prison's loudspeakers turn on,

a hush falls over the inmates.

Then a recorded message from Oswald begins to play.

Immediately the prisoners turned to each other in disbelief.

They were promised a live in-person address, not a taped response from an official who's already left the prison.

As Oswald's recorded message continues, the inmates grow more agitated and what they perceive

as him brushing them off.

Soon angry shouts and low rumbles of frustration echo through the prison.

As the loudspeakers turn off, prisoners shake their head in frustration.

Men in the yard kick clods of dirt, mutter curses.

Inmates inside the prison begin to rattle their cell doors and anger.

...