ATTICA CALLING – issue #1
Spread the spirit of 71′!
JUSTICE FOR ROBERT BROOKS!
On December 9, 2024, 43 year old Robert Brooks was lynched by 18 state employees, including correctional officers and medical staff. 6 of these brutal pigs tortured Brooks to death until he was lifeless, the remaining pigs stood around giggling, smiling, and, smirking, taking part in the lynch mob. Gangs on Rikers came out on social media in support of Robert Brooks before the Attorney General had released the body cam footage, which makes it clear that the footage was only released because the AG wanted to control the narrative by getting ahead of the news before it got out to the public from a source inside. The NY Post also stated that “officials in New York City increased security on Rikers Island in anticipation of the footage getting released” because inmates at Rikers had already expressed their support for Brooks and there was a threat of unrest or even rebellion.
In their cover up, prison officials stated, “it was only ‘on a lark’ that there could be body camera footage” and that they “had been unaware of the ‘video recall’ function.” Four of the COs involved in the beating had their cameras powered on, but had not double-pushed a button to start recording. The “video recall” function means that the cameras were rolling anyway. The truth about the COs murdering Robert Brooks was exposed to the public because of the righteous rebellion of inmates; every single government official that expressed their “shock” or “sympathy” or claimed to be investigating the murder are complicit in the ongoing brutalization and murder of inmates. Their toothless disciplinary measures and reforms only enable the violence to continue.
What happens when collective struggle is led astray?
For decades, inmates across the country have been neglected, abused, and killed by CO thugs. In majority of these cases, the general public is not made aware of what actually happens behind bars, and families that are demanding justice for their loved ones are denied any kind of truth or face repression themselves.
Tyre Nichols was killed on January 10, 2023 by five Memphis police officers who beat him to death. After body cam footage was released, there were nationwide protests against the brutal murder. Just this past May, over 2 years later, three of this pigs were acquitted of all state charges, and all five of them have been given deals ensuring they are free of the most serious charges, while the judges and officials on the case continue to recuse themselves of over seeing this case. The U.S. Justice Department said a 17-month investigation showed the Memphis Police Department uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people. The investigation also found that the police department conducts unlawful stops, searches, and arrests. The city has created a task force to address police department reforms. The task force has not announced any recommendation. Just like every reform that has been passed in this country, the purpose is not to fundamentally change the system, it is to keep people from truly challenging those at the top and their profits. This happens every single time reforms become the goal, instead of demanding that killers are jailed or recognizing the truth that the whole system must be over turned.
When there is pressure put on the system, reforms are offered up as a possibility for change, but the conviction of the murders themselves are almost never on the table. If every single CO and police officer who killed Black and other oppressed people was convicted or even some, the system would actually start to burst.
ITS US VERSUS THEM
Two weeks after Brooks’ death was declared a homicide, the CO wildcat strike began, because these prison guards are used to getting away with extreme cruelty. They regularly beat and kill inmates with no consequences so when charges were brought against their own, their entire position as foot soldiers to the ruling class was threatened. The COs were claiming their working conditions were “unsafe” due to low staff and their restricted ability to use solitary confinement against inmates. NY state ended the strike and granted them their demands, including a 90-day suspension of HALT(Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act), which reduces solitary confinement in prisons. In 2016, prison guards at Marcy staged a riot in the prison after they assumed that one of their ranks had been injured by an inmate. Inmates were brutally beaten, assaulted, and despite the barbaric behavior of the guards, none were ever held accountable for their actions. Prison guards are used to being completely untouched and free to do their bidding against inmates, the government officials that are above them make sure they are not only protected but promoted for their cruelty.
In response to the temporary suspension of HALT, activists and non-profits focused their efforts on begging for crumbs, to reinstate this dead-end reform that didn’t stop CO pigs from murdering Robert Brooks or the murder of Messiah Nantwi, which happened March 1st during the strike at Midstate Correction Facility. What did lead to real action was the inmates that came forward and spoke up about the prison guards that murdered Messiah. Because of the inmates that came forward collectively, there was public out cry against the murder of Messiah Nantwi. The COs responsible were criminally charged, and for the seven going on trial in January, it is our responsibility to turn the heat up and demand they be convicted of murder.
KILLER COs WILL KILL AGAIN UNLESS THEY ARE LOCKED UP
The DOC and NY state are already trying to minimize the sentencing of the pigs responsible for lynching Robert Brooks. By the state’s own admission, 18 state employees were responsible for the murder of Robert Brooks, yet only 10 of them were charged. Six former corrections officers have been charged with second-degree murder, three with manslaughter, and one with evidence tampering in Brooks’ death.
Earlier in May, CO Nicolas Gentile pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to 1 year conditional discharge which means he serves no time. In August, Christopher Walrath, originally charged with a murder sentence of 25 years, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and will serve 15 years. In September, two more COs who were charged with murder in the original indictment pleaded guilty for manslaughter. Nicholas Anzalone and Anthony Farina were both charged second degree murder and first degree manslaughter in the indictment, but admitted only to manslaughter charges. They are being charged with manslaughter instead of murder, a lower charge that states “there wasn’t intention to commit murder”, significantly reducing the consequences they face. Nicholas Anzalone and Anthony Farina, who have both resigned, will be sentenced on Nov. 21, with a max sentence of 22 years in state prison.
Despite the highly publicized video of the 18 staff members committing murder, charges continue to get lowered, and the pressure is being put on bullshit legislation instead of on punishing the butchers that killed Robert Brooks. The system is pulling from the same tired playbook of sacrificing some lambs, while keeping the killing machine going with the illusion of reforms. It will take both inmates on the inside and people on the outside fighting for every single one of these pigs to be locked up, for the COs that continue to abuse inmates to be truly scared of the consequences of their actions. There is no reform that can end the continued abuse and killings of Black and other oppressed people, especially the people behind bars. When people rebel collectively, and make it impossible for the ruling class to ignore their demands, profit is put aside and people’s demands can be met. Although jailing killer cops and COs is a righteous demand, even that isn’t enough to end the brutality once and for all. In order to free people from the boot of oppression under people’s neck once in for all, and beyond some demands, a revolution is the the only way.
Just as the Attica revolutionaries in the past fought and demanded justice, we must look to that end, demanding that inmates not be killed, harmed, or denied their humanity or there will be hell to pay from the people. The only way is scare the system into changing for fear of a riot or worse, rather then letting them quell the masses of people into fake victories. The light sentencing of pigs and acceptance of legislation is what has been keeping the death machine of mass incarceration working smoothly and uninterrupted.
On October 6th, the murder trial against David Kingsley, Nicholas Kieffer and Mathew Galliher began, and Michael Fisher or manslaughter. They should all be locked away, convicted and jailed for murder, just like the rest of the COs and medical staff who brutalized and killed Robert Brooks and laughed while he was lynched.
Essay by Michael Cleaver
These are the testimonies of forty-four tenants housed in the dorm where Messiah Nantwi was beaten unconscious on March 1st 2025, by some of 15 or 12 Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT) officers.
The day of the disaster, the facility was controlled by the National Guard. There were no normal correctional officers in the building at the time. About eleven AM the National Guardsman called count. Count is called before lunch. Every inmate must return to his room to stand by his bed. Three National Guards walked around the dorm trying to count every one. Messiah was missing. Messiah was found to be in the shower, listening to headphones. The National Guard had called prison authorities and reported Messiah missing.
Messiah had returned to his and his bunkie’s room. The count was completed. Soon after, 15 or 12 CERT officers arrived at the dorm. They were all white men, dressed in black, wearing bullet proof vests. They entered the dorm; some had their batons already drawn. This drew a lot of attention from inmates. CERT officers marched down the hall toward Messiah’s dorm room. Before entering one officer struck the frame of the door with his baton. The officers then entered Messiahs room. I heard Messiah say, “But I didn’t do anything.”
Batons began to swing! The coroner said, 60 strikes landed. Many of the strikes must have missed, because we heard the clanging of batons on metal windows, lockers and bed frames.
Messiah was finally brought to rest. We heard continued kicking and stomping. One inmate saw it ALL! Messiah’s bunkie was in the room with him, the entire time.
Messiah was front cuffed and foot cuffed. He was lifted face up by the cuffs on his hands and feet. Many CERT officers were busy forcing inmates back into their rooms, who struggled to watch. Messiah was carried out of the room past a green stretcher, chest up, his head, hanging down. Two CERT officers who held him by the cuffs only. Messiah was carried down the hall past 11 doors and 23 inmates fighting to watch. These inmates said Messiah was unconscious, unrecognizable, struggling to breathe. Was there blood in his airway? Messiah was probably dragged down the stairs. There was heard the sound of head thumping and foot cuffs clinking on metal steps. At the bottom of the stairs, he was again lifted, carried outside into the street and many of us watched through dorm windows. His body, still carried chest up, hung like a hog.
Across the street we could all see Messiah being carried into 114, a medical building. On his way Messiah, clearly visible to those who watched, passed by a nurse. She continued to smoke and talked with CERT officers. Some officers smoked with her. She may have looked at Messiah. She knew Messiah was being brought to the building to be interrogated, that after he was finished being interrogated, she would hand him a napkin, but not an aspirin. Then Messiah would be asked to undress, and photographs would be taken of him, in case he chooses to sue. Then he would be taken to a new dorm. This is the norm, except, not today, not for Messiah Nantwi.
Fifteen minutes later a medical van arrived in quite a hurry, already driving in reverse, and stopped in front of building 114. A male and female EMT jumped out of the van, they did not close the van doors. They unloaded a gurney and pushed it into the medical building. They knew how to move. Soon after, Messiah was pushed out of the building. He was underneath a white sheet. On top of him, rode the female EMT, performing CPR. She rode him all the way into the back of the medical van.
Now Sargent Slawson, who led the 15 men into combat, this Sargent Slawson, who carried a camera, who collected no video of this unspeakable violence was now standing front of the medical van, pointing the driver towards the clearly visible prison gates.
How was Sargent Slawson recognized by the three inmates still watching? Because Sargent Slawson is a famous undisguised racist. But must not be hated. There is hope in honesty.
Hear now- why here and why me? Because I was asked to, Begged to, and finally forced to. Sixteen furious Black New Yorkers can get to the point. Why were they so angry? Could someone ask, on a comment on one of my drawings.
But what else? This document is in hopes of help to seek fair and equitable treatment of incarcerated individuals.
Messiah Nantwi is not forgotten!
MESSY ROOM
Dedicated to the late Messia Nantwi A.K.A “MESSY”
Haw much mess could 1 room Consume?? It was a Nightmare in there far more than can be cleaned up with any mop or broom. Sharing that space may now eternally set discomfort to his old bunkie Mr. Moon. When they’ed taken him away, I’d thought for sure that he was next to meet his brutal doom. Now since, Ive taken up the space; sleepless rights I swear his spirit is over me at loom. Hurt by the way one was taken away in age so soon. Hoped & prayed that they’d hear about it on the news by noon. Look how CERT came thru wild banging batons with no cameras, so EVIDENCE We cant even zoom. Now the whole team working to clean up the
Messy Room.
Voices began to be heard from rooms of far….
Only able to process what our imagination of minds could possess of violent scenes behind walls so bizarre. This is about the 5th Murder by COs in the states this year
“They’re really raising the bar “
If you’d seen his face getting carried out in cuffs ‘it look like he’d crashed in a speeding car. We pray to our God that these tragedies will stop where we are, far from home hoping our cries get heard from behind the wire, like the played strings on a good o’l guitar !
This is Real & this is Right by: Rodney Richards A.K.A Double R
Dare to Struggle 