Atlanta Prison Riots

The Atlanta Prison Riots were a series of riots that occurred at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in November of 1987.

Cause

On November 10 1987, the U.S. State Department announced that Cuba had agreed to reinstate a 1984 accord that would permit the repatriation of up to 2,500 Cuban nationals. Included would be Cubans who had fled in the 1980 Mariel boatlift but who, once released on "immigration parole," had been convicted of a crime and were now detained in one of two Federal prisons.

Riot

Three days after the announcement, the detainees seized control of the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta. Their principal demand was that they not be repatriated to Cuba. The uprising lasted 11 days, involved more than 100 hostages, and burned down a substantial portion of the facility [ [http://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/prisriot.txt NCJRS page on riots] ] . The Atlanta FBI, led by Weldon L. Kennedy, was called in to handle the negotiations and gather intel. After the hostage situation was identified, Delta Force soldiers were called in to install closed circuit TV cameras with motion detectors and alarms. After a great deal of tension, the FBI and Delta Force suppressed the riot on November 24 [ [http://www.newdominion.com/index.asp?id=569 Atlanta Prison Riot] ] .

References