{"id":614,"date":"2025-05-06T11:14:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T11:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/?p=614"},"modified":"2025-05-06T11:14:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T11:14:38","slug":"alcatraz-island-federal-prison-to-be-re-opened","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/alcatraz-island-federal-prison-to-be-re-opened\/","title":{"rendered":"ALCATRAZ ISLAND FEDERAL PRISON TO BE RE-OPENED ?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alcatraz island\u00a0 was known\u201cThe Rock\u201d closed 62 years ago, and San Francisco has channeled the public\u2019s macabre fascination with life inside the notorious prison to turn it into one of the city\u2019s top tourist attractions.<\/p>\n

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Visitors can wander through the Gardens of Alcatraz, peruse the Big Lockup Exhibit, or take a night tour where one can \u201cenjoy the beauty of a sunset silhouetting the Golden Gate Bridge\u201d as well as \u201cexperience a cell door demonstration.\u201d Over the years, Boy Scouts have clamored to hold overnight campouts in the infamous isolation cells of D Block. Athletes compete in prison-themed events, including a canoe race circling the island and the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon.<\/p>\n

Calling the prison a \u201csymbol of law and order,\u201d Trump on Sunday said<\/a> he is directing the Bureau of Prisons and other federal agencies to rebuild Alcatraz to house \u201cAmerica\u2019s most ruthless and violent offenders.\u201d San Francisco boosters aren\u2019t keen on the idea and visitors aren\u2019t so sure, either.<\/p>\n

On Monday, National Park Ranger Matthew Connelly welcomed a crowd of more than 100 tourists and said he\u2019d take questions. Just not all. When the subject of Trump\u2019s proposal came up, he looked concerned and directed a reporter to call public affairs.<\/p>\n

Those on the packed tour had plenty of thoughts after trudging from a ferryboat up a steep, quarter-mile walkway to the imposing fortress. Before entering the main gate, an Australian visitor jokingly suggested Trump lock himself into a new prison there. \u201cHe should lead by example,\u201d the man said with a laugh. He and his wife declined to give their names. \u201cNo thanks mate, we want to get home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking selfies with his wife in one of the windowless cells on a prison corridor called Broadway, John La Pierre, a 62-year-old tourist from the Netherlands, was supportive of Trump\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

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\"Chris<\/picture><\/figure>\n

Naomi Alexandra and Chris Manikowski in the former chow hall.<\/span> Photo: JIM CARLTON for WSJ<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI think the idea itself to put people on a certain island where they have no comfort, especially for those high delinquents, that\u2019s a good idea,\u201d La Pierre said. But he was wary of whether such a historic site could again be made into a modern prison complex.<\/p>\n

Sitting in what had been the chow hall, Londoners Chris Manikowski and Naomi Alexandra said that instead of doubling down on a prison with such stark conditions, Trump should take a page from Norway, which treats prisoners well and has low recidivism rates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the times have changed, and for prisoners to spend a week without showering in those dark cells, it\u2019s too much,\u201d Manikowski, 28, said.<\/p>\n

Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco agreed, calling the president\u2019s idea \u201cunhinged and terrifying.\u201d Trump wants to turn Alcatraz \u201cinto a domestic gulag in the middle of San Francisco Bay,\u201d Wiener wrote on social media.<\/p>\n

Trump said reopening Alcatraz ties to his campaign promise to lower violent crime. His pitch harks back to the prison\u2019s 1930s origins, when it opened to deal with \u201cthe most incorrigible inmates in federal prisons,\u201d according to a government history. It operated as a maximum-security facility for nearly three decades, closing in 1963 because of millions of dollars in needed repairs and the expense of hauling all supplies, including fresh water, to the facility by boat.<\/p>\n

Alcatraz was tiny by the standards of most federal facilities, never housing more than around 275 prisoners. Its shadow is huge.<\/p>\n

The prison has graced the silver screen in such films as Michael Bay\u2019s 1996 action thriller \u201cThe Rock\u201d and 1979\u2019s \u201cEscape from Alcatraz,\u201d starring Clint Eastwood. It housed famous criminals including mobster Al Capone and George \u201cMachine-Gun\u201d Kelly.<\/p>\n

At times, Alcatraz was almost as famous for those who tried to escape as it was for those who were inside. Contrary to myth, cold temperatures and strong currents\u2014not sharks\u2014were the biggest obstacles to making it the mile-plus to shore. Trained swimmers as young as age 9 have successfully made the journey that so many prisoners failed.<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/picture><\/figure>\n

Visitors Monday had mixed views on Trump\u2019s plans for Alcatraz, one of the most storied prisons in American history. <\/span> Photo: Ethan Swope\/Bloomberg<\/span><\/div>\n

In one unsuccessful escape in 1941, a prisoner who gave up after hitting the Bay\u2019s cold water later tried to escape again from a San Francisco federal courtroom. Another man attempted to leave by stealing an Army uniform and calmly walking aboard an Army launch. He was promptly returned to Alcatraz when the boat landed at nearby Angel Island.<\/p>\n

Today, more than a million visitors each year travel to the island, according to the National Park Service. In peak season, tourists book tickets weeks in advance.<\/p>\n

Not everyone in San Francisco has understood why a sinister prison is such a draw. \u201cIt\u2019s heinous,\u201d declared one writer on \u201cBroke-ass Stuart,\u201d a local alternative website, noting the irony of a progressive city touting a museum of human suffering. \u201cI don\u2019t think moms from Minnesota should be allowed to take selfies in rooms where men pushed past the point of no return hung themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those looking to bring a dose of reality back home from the prison tour, visitors can buy rectangular magnets reminding them of Alcatraz\u2019s central tenets. Like Regulation #5: \u201cYou are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. ANYTHING ELSE YOU GET IS A PRIVILEGE.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parents seeking some tough-love discipline can slap Regulation #23 on the fridge: \u201cIf you make GROUNDLESS COMPLAINTS for the purpose of\u2026STIRRING UP TROUBLE\u2026you will be subject to DISCIPLINARY ACTION.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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President Trump said he directed the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI and Homeland Security to reopen and expand the historical prison. Photo: Fred Greaves\/Reuters; Leah Millis\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

For $13.95, tourists can also take home a replica tin inmate cup, which had the advantage back in the day of not being able to be broken into shards that could become a weapon.<\/p>\n

Carson Brock, a 24-year-old from Cincinnati who voted for Trump, said from the prison\u2019s gift shop that he favors preserving Alcatraz\u2019s history over reopening. \u201cBut if that\u2019s what he wants to do, then I guess so be it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

One Alberta resident touring the island was reticent to share her views, but concluded: \u201cWe\u2019re Canadian, we don\u2019t really care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visitor Mike Neville, another Trump supporter, said he thinks turning Alcatraz back into a prison would be cost-prohibitive. The 61-year-old, visiting from Colorado Springs, Colo., has a better plan: \u201cI always liked the idea of turning it into a casino.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alcatraz island\u00a0 was known\u201cThe Rock\u201d closed 62 years ago, and San Francisco has channeled the public\u2019s macabre fascination with life inside the notorious prison to turn it into one of the city\u2019s top tourist attractions. Visitors can wander through the Gardens of Alcatraz, peruse the Big Lockup Exhibit, or take a night tour where one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=614"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":615,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614\/revisions\/615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}