ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Attica Prison riot

The Attica Prison Riot was a very serious and scary event that happened a long time ago in a big prison called Attica in New York. In the prison, there were many people who had done things that were against the law and they were put there to keep them separate from other people.

But sometimes, the people in the prison were not treated very well. They were not given much food to eat, the prison was very crowded, and the guards sometimes hurt them. This made the people in the prison very angry and upset, and they wanted things to change.

So, one day, the people in the prison all got together and decided to protest. They all stood up and said they wanted to be treated better and have things like more food and better medical care. They made signs and yelled and shouted to get attention.

But the prison guards and the people in charge didn't like this. They were scared that the prisoners might hurt them or other people. So, instead of talking to the prisoners and listening to their concerns, the guards and the people in charge decided to use force to try to stop them.

They shot guns and threw tear gas into the prison to try to make the prisoners stop protesting. This made the situation even more scary and chaotic. Many people got hurt and some people even died during this time.

After a while, the people in charge realized that what they were doing was not right. They knew they had to change things and listen to the prisoners' demands. So, they decided to negotiate with the prisoners. Negotiating means they sat down together and talked about what needed to be changed.

This negotiation was not easy, but eventually, they came to an agreement. The prisoners' demands were heard, and some changes were made. The prisoners were promised better living conditions and more rights.

Even though the Attica Prison Riot was a very sad and scary event, it also showed that when people come together and stand up for what they believe in, they can make a difference. The riot shed light on the problems within the prison system and made people realize that changes needed to be made to treat prisoners more fairly and humanely.
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