Red Emma’s

TIP OF THE SPEAR argues that prisons are a domain of hidden warfare within US borders. With this book, Orisanmi Burton explores what he terms the Long Attica Revolt, a criminalized tradition of Black radicalism that propelled rebellions in New York prisons during the 1970s. The reaction to this revolt illuminates what Burton calls prison pacification: the coordinated tactics of violence, isolation, sexual terror, propaganda, reform, and white supremacist science and technology that state actors use to eliminate Black resistance within and beyond prison walls. In the summer of 1971, the New York’s Attica State Prison is a symbol of systemic opression in America. Frank “Big Black” Smith finds himself at the center of the Attica revolt, struggling to protect hostages, prisoners and negotiators alike. This is a graphic novel that recounts Frank Smith’s experiences before, during, and after the Attica uprising.