Tag: alcatraz

Trump orders reopening of Alcatraz prison

President Trump said Sunday that he is ordering the reopening of the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, the historic prison offshore from San Francisco that closed more than 60 years ago.

“For too long, America has been plagued by vicious, violent, and repeat Criminal Offenders, the dregs of society, who will never contribute anything other than Misery and Suffering. When we were a more serious Nation, in times past, we did not hesitate to lock up the most dangerous criminals, and keep them far away from anyone they could harm,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“That’s the way it’s supposed to be. No longer will we tolerate these Serial Offenders who spread filth, bloodshed, and mayhem on our streets. That is why, today, I am directing the Bureau of Prisons, together with the Department of Justice, FBI, and Homeland Security, to reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ, to house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders,” he added.

The island, which sits less than 2 miles offshore, was first developed in the mid-19th century, with the original structures including a lighthouse.

Notable figures including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly were once held at Alcatraz, which was a federal prison from 1934-63. The National Park Service, which now oversees its facilities, describes the prison as “the federal government’s response to post-Prohibition, post-Depression America.”

“Both the institution and the men confined within its walls reflect our society during this era,” the National Park Service adds on a web page about the prison, which was also known as The Rock and gave that name to a popular Michael Bay action film set on the island.

In his Sunday post, Trump said Alcatraz’s “reopening” is going to “serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE.”

“We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he added.

The Bureau of Prisons notes on its website that “USP [United States Penitentiary] Alcatraz closed after 29 years of operation” due to soaring costs.

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Incredible new theory on what happened to three men who escaped from Alcatraz in 1962 – as respected author reveals exactly what he thinks happened to them

An incredible new theory on what happened to the three men who managed to escape from Alcatraz in the 1960s has emerged. 

Brothers John and Clarence Anglin, alongside friend Frank Morris, tunneled out of their cell of the maximum security prison in June 1962 before disappearing into the waters of the San Francisco Bay and have never been found. 

And now writers Ken Widner and Mike Lynch share their fascinating theory. Their book, Alcatraz: The Last Escape, alleges the trio escaped the jail in a makeshift raft and used wires to hitch themselves to a passing boat.

From there, the fugitives met a second boat in the San Francisco Bay area, which took them to dry land. A private plane chartered from a small airport at neighboring Marin County flew the trio to Mexico to begin a new life, it is claimed. 

They later moved to Brazil, where at least two of the men are said to have survived until the 1990s.  

Federal investigations into the escape – which was immortalized in the 1979 film Escape From Alcatraz – concluded that the Anglin brothers and Morris must have drowned in the freezing, shark-infested bay. 

Widner Lynch, who have used family interviews, historical documents and photo evidence to approach their theory.

Widner, who also happens to be the nephew of the Anglin brothers, claims the trio made their way south and married locals, raising children of their own and tended to farms in the mountains of Brazil until at least the 1990s.

Hoping to correct the record about his uncles, Widner deep dived into their upbringing which stretched back to their formative years in Ruskin, Florida, with their parents who were seasonal farmworkers. 

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