From cellblocks to selfies: Tourists flock to Alcatraz as Trump floats prison comeback скачать в хорошем качестве

From cellblocks to selfies: Tourists flock to Alcatraz as Trump floats prison comeback

President Donald Trump has said he’d like to reopen Alcatraz, the infamous island lockup in the middle of San Francisco Bay, turning it from a tourist hotspot back to a maximum-security fortress. But what is it actually like to visit it today? Alcatraz is a top destination for visitors from around the world. You catch a ferry from San Francisco's waterfront, cruise across the bay, and arrive at what’s now a National Historic Landmark. Guests explore the old cellhouse, listen to recorded stories from former guards and inmates, and even stand inside the tiny cells that once held criminals like Al Capone and “Machine Gun” Kelly. It’s part history lesson, part eerie adventure, and for critics of Trump's idea, definitely not a place that's ready to house prisoners again. Alcatraz has been out of commission as a prison for more than 60 years. The prison was shut down in 1963 because it was falling apart and too expensive to run. Today, many of the buildings are deteriorating and would need massive, expensive repairs to be usable. Plus, reopening it could come with a mountain of red tape. The island is protected by the National Park Service and home to nesting seabirds and other wildlife. Turning it back into a prison wouldn’t just mean rebuilding, it could also mean lawsuits, environmental reviews, and major pushback from the local community. Alcatraz remains a powerful symbol of America’s prison past, but for now, likely not its future (Video by Associated Press) Read more: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article... Plus: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article... Subscribe to our channel: https://pdne.ws/youtube Support local journalism: https://pdne.ws/subscribe Sign up for our newsletters: https://pdne.ws/newsletters More from The Press Democrat: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/ ---------- Follow us: Twitter ▶   / northbaynews   Instagram ▶   / pressdemo   Facebook ▶   / pressdemocrat   TikTok ▶   / pressdemo   ---------- The Press Democrat delivers breaking local news, information, sports, entertainment, shopping, dining, weather and more for residents of Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties as well as real-time news from the Bay Area, the state, the nation and the world.