The Alcatraz Island exhibition invites visitors to imagine what it would be like to be a lonely, misty rock trapped prisoner in the middle of San Francisco Bay, the infamous federal prison that was closed and preserved decades ago as a national park grounds and tourist attraction.
But on Monday, the day after President Trump, he hopes to reopen almost a century of prison as “to effectively expand and rebuild Alcatraz and house America’s most ruthless and violent criminals.”
“I’m everything (Trump) does, but this doesn’t make sense,” said 63-year-old Beverly Krill, an avid Trump supporter who has visited from Chicago. “I think Gitomo (the prison in Guantanamo Bay) might be better. That’s what they all belong to. They don’t belong here.”
She and her husband stood in a pink flower riot on the lumpy clumps of the island, looking at the Golden Gate Bridge like a pair of Canadian geese and three fuzzy ducks. Behind them he was forced to go to prison. Its fortress-like front has become a majestic appearance, but with crumbling stuccos, degraded masonry and leaking joints, it is a sign of age and weather.
On the island, outside the three-storey cell house, 10-year-old Melody Garcia, who once locked in a primitive cell, had seen him bewildered when he visited from Concord with his family. “Most of the Alcatraz is broken, etc,” she said.
Still, within hours of Trump’s declaration, the Prison Bureau issued a statement saying it was already at work.
“The Bureau of Prisons will strongly pursue all paths to support and implement the President’s agenda,” said Director William K. Marshall III. “We ordered an immediate assessment to determine our needs and our next steps. USPAlcatraz has a rich history. We look forward to restoring this powerful symbol of law, order and justice.”
Meanwhile, many California officials are ridiculous and worried. A spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom has rejected the declaration as a trick designed to divert voters from Trump’s actions as president. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) called it “hingeless.” However, he also warned that “When Donald Trump says something, he means that,” and speculated that Trump “want to open gulag here in America.”
The existence of the US government at Alcatraz began in the 1850s and began with the construction of a fort broken with cannons to protect San Francisco from hostile ships.
Soon after, US officials began using it as a military prison. During the Civil War, the crew of Confederate ships were jailed there along with union soldiers convicted of rape, murder, escape and other crimes. The US Army also locked in Hope, Apache, Modoc Indians, and later conscientious opponents to World War I.
In 1934, Alcatraz opened as the official federal prison for men who attempted to escape from other federal prisons or committed other malfunctions. Among the prominent prisoners were Al Capone and George’s “machine gun” Kelly.
The prison known as the “rock” was a prison with the abilities of 336 men, and gained the status of popular culture as a remote island of despair. “Everyone wants to be an individual,” said James Clen, a former prisoner who served for 10 years from 1942 to 1952.
In addition to being formidable, the prison was extremely expensive to maintain and run. In fact, in 1963, it was so expensive that I didn’t like it at the time. General Robert F. Kennedy ordered it to be closed.
Alcatraz historian John Martini said that prisons have been closed in part because of flawed construction methods and “it would be a money hole to maintain the standards… it would have been easier to build a new prison.”
Six years later, the island declared it was taking its prominent place in Native American history when a group of Native American activists landed on the island, and took it in the name of “All Tribal Indians.” The occupation lasted 19 months, awakening the nation to the concerns of Indigenous Americans.
When federal agents moved in 1971 to remove the last occupying, authorities had plans to bulldoze everything. However, in 1972, Congress established the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, instead becoming one of San Francisco’s most beloved attractions. Over 1.4 million people visit each year and walk along the dunkel blocks and are displayed in Native American occupations.
When calling for Alcatraz to resume, Trump said the recovery “will serve as a symbol of law, order and justice.”
However, the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy, a nonprofit that helps maintain and support operations in Alcatraz, issued a statement Monday that prison heights as historic landmarks and educational destinations are already playing a key role.
“Alcatraz has not been a prison that works for over 60 years,” the organization said in a statement. “Today, it is a powerful symbol. It is a ever-preserved national historic landmark, a global place of experience and reflection in a transformative national park. …This is what history speaks – and the place where we learn from the past shapes a better future.”
John Costelnik, Western Regional Vice President of Prison Local Council 33, said the idea of reopening Alcatraz was not only a “irresponsible” use of federal money, but also a slap of guards to prisons, and has long complained about low wages.
“It seems very hypocritical to say they’re coming in and making the government more efficient and making the Doge and everything about it,” Costelnik said.
In December, it closed the troubled federal prison in Dublin, California, about 30 miles east of San Francisco, and five minimal prison camps in the state, from Florida to Colorado. “The facility is closing its facilities to address critical challenges such as critical staffing shortages, collapsed infrastructure and limited budgetary resources,” the department said in a document obtained by The Associated Press.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office directed an inquiry into the National Park Service about Alcatraz’s proposal, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tourists roaming the island on Monday seemed obsessed with two questions.
“We’re not ready, we’re not ready in shape, in shape, in shape, in shape,” said Daniel Malbad, 24, who lives in San Francisco and visited with guests from outside of town. He said the cost of renovating the structure was astronomical and, as a tourist attraction, seemed pointless considering that Alcatraz appears to generate a lot of revenue through ticket sales and products.
“You really need to… rewire,” said Alyssa Sibley, 26, of Sacramento, who was standing in her old shower room, staring at the rough, rusty bathroom fixtures.
Tumidei Valentin, 34, a French psychologist who took a leave of absence in California, denounced it as a “bad idea.” “Every day he has new ideas,” Valentin said of Trump. Most of them attracted attention “to get the talk.”
Christine Nichols, 60, of Palm Springs, who was visiting with her family, said she was particularly moved by the exhibition on the Native American occupation, as a part of Chickasaw.
“The amount of money it takes to do this…” she said. “I question my purpose.”
She added: “It’s a historic place and if they put it back in prison it’s going to ruin all the history.”
