Trump's call to reopen Alcatraz falls flat with tourists, who ask: Why and how?

ALCATRAZ ISLAND, Calif.  — The exhibits connected Alcatraz Island, the infamous national situation that decades agone was shuttered and preserved arsenic a nationalist parkland tract and tourer attraction, invitation visitors to ideate what it was similar to beryllium a defender oregon an inmate confined to the lonesome, foggy stone successful the mediate of San Francisco Bay.

But connected Monday, a time aft President Trump posted connected societal media that helium wants to reopen the astir century-old situation arsenic a “substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to location America’s astir ruthless and convulsive Offenders,” galore tourists were imagining a precise antithetic role: what it would beryllium similar to beryllium the operation manager who mightiness really person to fig retired however to marque that happen.

“I’m each for what [Trump] is doing, but this doesn’t marque sense,” said Beverly Klir, 63, an ardent Trump protagonist who was visiting from Chicago. “I judge Gitmo [the situation astatine Guantanamo Bay] whitethorn beryllium better. That’s wherever they each belong. They don’t beryllium here.”

She and her hubby were lasting amid a riot of pinkish flowers connected the island’s craggy bluffs, looking retired astatine the Golden Gate Bridge arsenic a brace of Canada geese and 3 fuzzy ducklings waddled by. Behind them loomed the prison, its fortress-like facade menacing successful appearance, but besides a testament to property and weather, with crumbling stucco, deteriorated masonry and leaking joints.

Higher up connected the island, extracurricular the three-story cellhouse wherever immoderate of the nation’s astir incorrigible prisoners were erstwhile locked distant successful primitive cells, 10-year-old Melody Garcia, visiting with household from Concord, appeared arsenic perplexed. “Most of Alcatraz is breached down and stuff,” she said.

Still, wrong hours of Trump’s pronouncement, the Bureau of Prisons released a connection saying it was already connected the job.

“The Bureau of Prisons volition vigorously prosecute each avenues to enactment and instrumentality the President’s agenda,” said BOP Director William K. Marshall III. “I person ordered an contiguous appraisal to find our needs and the adjacent steps. USP Alcatraz has a affluent history. We look guardant to restoring this almighty awesome of law, order, and justice.”

Many California officials, meanwhile, responded with a scope of ridicule and concern. A spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom dismissed the pronouncement arsenic a ploy designed to distract voters from grim economical news. State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) called it “unhinged.” But helium besides cautioned that “when Donald Trump says something, helium means it,” and speculated that Trump whitethorn privation to “open a gulag present successful the U.S.”

The U.S. government’s beingness connected Alcatraz began successful the 1850s, with operation of a fort bristling with cannons to support San Francisco from hostile ships.

Soon after, U.S. officials besides began utilizing it arsenic a subject prison. During the Civil War, the unit of a Confederate ship, on with Union soldiers convicted of rape, murder, desertion and different offenses were imprisoned there. The U.S. Army besides locked up Hope, Apache and Modoc Indians determination and, later, conscientious objectors to World War I.

In 1934, Alcatraz opened arsenic an authoritative national situation for men who had made flight attempts from different national prisons, oregon different misbehaved. Among its notable inmates were Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.

Known arsenic “the Rock,” the prison, which had capableness for 336 men, earned a spot successful fashionable civilization arsenic an land of distant despair. “Everybody wants to beryllium an individual,” said erstwhile inmate James Quillen, who served 10 years determination from 1942-52. “You privation to beryllium human. And you weren’t astatine ‘the Rock.’”

In summation to being formidable, the situation was fearsomely costly to support and operate. So expensive, successful fact, that successful 1963, then-Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy ordered it closed.

John Martini, an Alcatraz historian, said the situation was closed successful portion due to the fact that it was built with flawed operation methods and was decaying, and it “would beryllium specified a wealth pit to bring it up to standards ... that it was easier to physique a caller penitentiary.”

Six years later, the land acquired a salient spot successful Native American past erstwhile a radical of Native American activists landed connected the island, declaring they were taking it successful the sanction of “Indians of All Tribes.” The concern lasted 19 months, and helped awaken the federation to the concerns of Indigenous Americans.

When national agents moved successful to region the past occupiers successful 1971, officials had plans to bulldoze the full thing. But successful 1972, Congress created the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the land alternatively became 1 of San Francisco’s astir beloved attractions. More than 1.4 cardinal radical sojourn each year, walking done the dank compartment blocks, and taking successful exhibits connected the Native American occupation.

In calling for Alcatraz to beryllium reopened, Trump said its restoration would “serve arsenic a awesome of law, order, and justice.”

But the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, a nonprofit that helps sphere and enactment operations astatine Alcatraz, issued a connection Monday saying the prison’s stature arsenic an historical landmark and acquisition destination already serves an important role.

“Alcatraz hasn’t been a moving situation for implicit 60 years,” the enactment said successful its statement. “Today, it’s a almighty awesome — a National Historic Landmark preserved for each time, a transformative nationalist parkland acquisition and planetary tract of reflection... This is wherever past speaks — and wherever we larn from the past to signifier a amended future. “

John Kostelnik, occidental determination vice president of the Council of Prison Locals 33, said the thought of reopening Alcatraz was not lone an “irresponsible” usage of national money, but besides a slap successful the look to situation guards, who person agelong complained astir debased wages.

“It conscionable seems precise hypocritical that they came successful and said they’re going to marque authorities much businesslike and DOGE and each that stuff,” Kostelnik said, “and present they’re saying they’re gonna propulsion hundreds of millions of dollars astatine a symbol.”

In December, the BOP said it was closing its troubled national situation successful Dublin, Calif., astir 30 miles eastbound of San Francisco, arsenic good arsenic 5 minimum-security situation camps successful states from Florida to Colorado. The bureau said successful a papers obtained by the Associated Press that it was closing the facilities to code “significant challenges, including a captious staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure and constricted budgetary resources.”

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s bureau directed inquiries astir the Alcatraz connection to the National Park Service, which did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Tourists roaming the land Monday seemed preoccupied with 2 questions: How and why?

“It’s not ready. It is successful nary way, signifier oregon signifier ready,” said Daniel Mulvad, 24, who lives successful San Francisco and was visiting with guests from retired of town. He noted that the costs of renovating the operation would beryllium astronomical and seemed senseless fixed that, arsenic a tourer attraction, Alcatraz appeared to beryllium generating a large woody of gross done summons income and merchandise.

“You’d person to truly … rewire,” said Alyssa Sibley, 26, of Sacramento, arsenic she stood successful the aged ablution room, staring astatine the crude and rusting bath fixtures.

Tumidei Valentin, 34, a French scientist vacationing successful California, decried it arsenic a “terrible idea.” “Every time helium has caller ideas,” Valentin said of Trump, astir of them “to marque a buzz” and get attention.

Kristin Nichols, 60, of Palm Springs, who was visiting with family, said that arsenic idiosyncratic who is portion Chickasaw she was peculiarly moved by the exhibits astir the Native American occupation.

“The magnitude of wealth it would instrumentality to bash this…” she said. “I would question the purpose.”

She added: “It’s a historical place, and if they crook it backmost into a prison, it’s going to ruin each the history.”