NEWS

State A.G. says Attica files can be opened with respect

Gary Craig
@gcraig1

Attica riot records now under seal can be opened to the public with a respect for both privacy and history, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Tuesday.

"Attica is a very unusual situation, just an extraordinary situation," Schneiderman said about his office's push to unseal records, including grand jury minutes, closed to the public for decades.

A memorial dedicated on Aug 27, 1972.

In a meeting with the Democrat and Chronicle editorial board Tuesday, Schneiderman said his office is pushing for the opening of the records because of the "extraordinary historical significance" of the 1971 prison uprising, which left 43 people dead. Grand jury records, typically private, can sometimes be unsealed with incidents of such historical notoriety, he said.

Last week the Attorney General's Office filed a motion in Wyoming County courts that could lead to the opening of records of an investigation into the bloody prison retaking and claims of a coverup of crimes committed by law enforcement.

Schneiderman acknowledged the sensitivity of the records, which could include incriminating claims about police who were never tried because of a blanket pardon for those involved in the retaking. He said his proposal to the courts redacts names and identifying information about a number of individuals, but "we're trying to keep redactions to a minimum."

A judge has yet to be assigned to consider the request.

Eric Schneiderman

Schneiderman spent much of Tuesday in Rochester, holding a community meeting about the work of his office and a news conference about a $2.78 million grant for the rehabilitation of blighted Rochester properties.

The grant is one from the first round of what's called the Attorney General's Land Bank Community Revitalization Initiative. The two-year, $20 million program provides funds from last year's National Mortgage Settlement with the nation's largest banks, which were accused of financial chicanery that helped trigger the recession.

Also at the editorial board, Schneiderman:

Would not discuss in great detail his office's ongoing investigation of local development corporations, or LDCs, connected to Monroe County government. A grand jury was impaneled in late July for six months to hear allegations of wrongdoing by the LDCs and individuals connected to them.

One indictment has been handed up, and more are expected.

Schneiderman noted that he could not discuss grand jury proceedings. He did say, "I think in weeks ahead you will see more from that body."

His office is working closely with federal authorities and state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office, he said.

Said that he is building a working relationship with gun store owners and gun show organizers, who want to ensure their firearms do not land in criminal hands. Gun show organizers have accepted tightened restrictions that prohibit anyone from leaving a show with a new firearm and no proof of a background check, he said.

Most firearm owners, he said, accept background checks but the gun lobby has often engendered heated opposition.

"We found a lot of common ground once we bypassed the (lobby) leadership," he said of his meetings with gun show organizers.

GCRAIG@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/gcraig1