07-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Letters: Reopening Alcatraz as a prison? Trump can't be serious
Regarding 'Trump tells FBI, Homeland Security to reopen Alcatraz — closed since 1963 — as a prison' (San Francisco, May 4): In 1972, the National Park Service took a gamble and turned the dilapidated former Alcatraz prison into a visitor attraction.
At the time, it was a risky move with concerns that people wouldn't want to visit a bunch of old buildings on an island in San Francisco Bay.
Fast forward to 2025, and Alcatraz is a gold mine with more paid visitors arriving in one summer day than there ever were convicts in its 29-year run as a federal prison.
The National Park Service mastered 'The Art of the Deal' with Alcatraz 15 years before Trump's ghostwritten version.
Trump's latest idea on Alcatraz yet again shows that he's the Art of the Heel.
Brian Stannard, San Francisco
It could boost tourism
Regarding 'Trump tells FBI, Homeland Security to reopen Alcatraz — closed since 1963 — as a prison' (San Francisco, May 4): I might be willing to consider President Donald Trump's latest bizarre salvo for reopening Alcatraz prison on one condition: He is the only convicted felon incarcerated there.
Can you imagine what that would do for San Francisco tourism? We wouldn't be able to run enough ferries a day.
Michael Burris, Aptos, Santa Cruz County
All for show
Regarding 'Trump tells FBI, Homeland Security to reopen Alcatraz — closed since 1963 — as a prison' (San Francisco, May 4): Reopening Alcatraz as a prison? That just feels like a stunt.
Alcatraz is part of a national park now, a big part of San Francisco's history and a major tourist spot. Trying to turn it back into a prison seems like a step backward, not to mention a huge waste of money.
We should be talking about real prison reform and supporting people after they've served time, not throwing energy into something that feels more like a show than a solution.
Eria Davis, Stockton
Maintain in-state tuition
Regarding 'Trump order seeks to end in-state tuition for undocumented college students' (California, April 30): President Donald Trump's recent executive order aiming to prohibit states from offering in-state tuition to undocumented college students is a misguided policy that undermines both educational equity and economic pragmatism.
In California, laws like AB540 have long allowed students who have attended and graduated from our high schools to pay in-state tuition, regardless of immigration status, and this is a policy upheld by the California Supreme Court and compliant with federal law.
These students are integral members of our communities, contributing to our state's diversity and economy. Denying them access to affordable higher education hampers their personal growth and deprives California of a skilled and educated workforce.
Moreover, the executive order's legal foundation is questionable, as it challenges state autonomy in setting educational policies.
California must stand firm in its commitment to inclusive education and resist federal overreach that threatens the futures of thousands of our students.
Jessica Iles, Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz County
Parade is a waste
I am appalled that President Donald Trump wants to use the Army's 250th birthday to mount a vanity military parade on June 14, also his birthday, in Washington that could cost more than $90 million.
At the same time, Trump is making cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. What an astonishing misuse of public funds — all to soothe the ego of a would-be king.
George Lewinski, Berkeley
Check a mirror
Regarding 'Sen. Adam Schiff is now leading California's congressional resistance' (Open Forum, May 4): So our president and would-be ruler of this country and the world (paraphrasing his words) has fixed his rage on Sen. Adam Schiff, likely for his role in the committee investigating the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Whatever your opinion of Schiff, he has always expressed his views thoughtfully.
