September 09

The Hanapepe massacre erupted during a labor strike by Filipino and Japanese plantation workers. Workers protested poor wages and harsh living conditions on Kauai's sugar plantations. Territorial police intervened and fatally shot several protesters in the small town of Hanapepe. The violence shocked the Hawaiian Islands and drew attention to labor rights issues. Memorials and investigations followed, highlighting racial and economic tensions in the territory. The incident remains a significant event in Hawaiian labor and civil rights history.

On September 9, 1971, inmates at Attica Correctional Facility seized control of the prison to protest overcrowding and poor living conditions. Prisoners held staff and guards hostage and presented a list of demands including amnesty, improved medical care, and political representation. The standoff lasted four days and became a catalyst for the prison reform movement in the United States. On September 13, state troopers retook the prison by force, resulting in the deaths of 39 people, most of them inmates. The Attica uprising highlighted systemic issues within the US penal system and influenced subsequent policy changes and civil rights discussions.