Trump would reopen Alcatraz, « symbol of law, order and rights »

US President Donald Trump has announced on the Truth social network that he plans to rebuild and increase the infamous Alcatraz prison where they were closed, among others Arthur R. Barkerson Ma Barker, Al Capone and George « Machine Gun » Kelly.

The reopening of the alcatrase, he said, will serve as a symbol of law, order and rights. The once Federal Penitentiary Alcatraz has been a popular tourist attraction as a museum for many years. Democrats described Trump’s idea as « frivolous » BBC.

The oldest lighthouse on the west coast

Alcatraz is an island that lies about two kilometers of ferry driving from Pier 33 in San Francisco Bay. Its surface measures less than nine hectares. The first barracks on the island were erected in the mid -19th century, in the early 20th century, the buildings on the Alcatraz were renovated, there is still the oldest lighthouse on the west coast today. In 1934, military prison was upgraded to a federal prison, from which it is almost impossible to escape, as it is surrounded by cold water with strong currents in which white sea wolves are frowning.

The prisoners were installed in four blocks A, B, C and D at the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Most of the building is available today for viewing at the museum. The tourist sightseeing points include, among other things, the central space with cells, the dining room, the manager’s house, the Building 64 apartment building, the Recreation Court and the Water Tower, which is part of the New Industries Building building. There, some jailers could work at the factory of clothing, furniture and brushes, in the laundry room and office.

In addition to the building mentioned in the northwest of the island, there is also an industries building model, where it was a laundry before 1939, and later workshops were held there. Due to the landslide in 1935, the building hung to the edge of the cliff, which required renovation and extension of the protective coastal wall, according to the official National Park Service website.

Jet cells 2.7 meters in length, 1.5 meters wide and 2.1 meters in height were intentionally built so that they did not touch the outer walls. They were equipped with a simple bed, a table, a sink without hot water and an open toilet. In Block D, where six completely insulated cells were called « holes », the worst criminals were closed. They sent them the most problematic prisoners, where they were serving severe, including physical penalties, often in complete darkness, without clothing and with fewer meals.

Visitors while listening to audio in the central space with cells Photo: Brittany Hosea-Small/Reuters

Work as a privilege

Henri Youngthe jail, who spent 13 days in such a cell, said at the trial of 1941: “They undress you to naked and push you into the cell. The guards take your clothes and inspect them. No soap, no tobacco, no toothbrush. The smell is disgusting as if it were to go into the sewer. You are left without shoes, without a bed and a mattress: you only have four moist walls and two blankets. In 13 days in the ‘hole’ I only got two meals, and in the meantime only three slices of bread a day. « 

The Alcatraz jailers were entitled to basic food, clothing, shelter and health care – everything else, including work, were considered privileges. By the mid -1950s, there was a strict silence in prison, and whistling and singing were also forbidden. The prisoners were dressed in a blue shirt and initially gray, then white pants and had to shave three times a week. The jailer was able to get only one visitor a month.

Water Tower on Alcatraz Island Photo: Laura Andrillon/Reuters

In the history of the infamous prison that ceased to operate in 1963, they were Frank Morris and a brother John and Clarence Anglin The only ones who have ever managed to escape from Alcatraz. Behind them, every trace was lost in 1962, and after the event, a film was made Escape from alcatraz from 1979, where he plays in the lead role Clint Eastwood.