Frank "Big Black" Smith, a former inmate tortured during the bloody 1971 Attica uprising who went on to become the voice of his fellow prisoners in a 25- year lawsuit against New York state, died Saturday after a long battle with cancer. He was 70.
A paralegal, Smith helped steer former inmates through a tumultuous legal battle with the state that ultimately ended in 2000 with a $12 million settlement.
"He persevered all of the years because he believed in what we were doing," said Elizabeth Fink, lead attorney for the Attica inmates.
A strapping man with a baritone voice, Smith served as the ad-hoc chief of security during the four-day uprising, which began Sept. 9 and ultimately left 32 inmates and 11 prison employees dead.
After the prison was stormed by state troopers, Smith, who was serving time in Attica for armed robbery, was falsely accused of castrating a guard, and was burned with cigarettes and hot shell casings.