Storyline
Alcatraz Landing is where tourists take a boat to visit Alcatraz Island, which was once a notorious federal prison that housed infamous criminals like Al Capone.
Today, it is a national park and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the San Francisco Bay.
“As I’m here today, looking around it seems like this is a great tourist attraction and it’s making a lot of money for San Francisco in the Bay Area and I’d hate to see that go away if… if there was a different option that might have been better than reopening this prison instead of closing it as a national park,” said Nick Pernell, who decided to go visit Alcatraz before it could be closed off to tourists.
However, President Donald Trump wants to, again, turn it into a federal prison to house the nation’s most violent criminals.
Alcatraz Prison closed in 1963 because it was falling apart, and it was too expensive to transfer prisoners there and to bring in supplies by boat.
President Trump has offered few details about the plan, which is likely to be costly and face local opposition.
“I think it’s a waste of money, way too expensive, hopefully it’s just all talk and not serious. Infrastructure, it’d be too hard to get potable water, infrastructure, sewer there, employees there to build it. It just wouldn’t be effective of use of the taxpayer’s money,” Randy Doolittle, who was visiting San Francisco from Portland, Oregon, said. “I like tough on criminals, but I don’t like wasting money on stupid ideas. Which is, I think, it would be a stupid idea to build out in the desert and be a little cheaper than building an island that people wanna use as tourist items.”
This article and video were provided by The Associated Press.
Script
[Alcatraz Island]
Olga Rodriguez (interview): “I’m standing in Alcatraz Landing where tourists take a boat to go visit Alcatraz Island, which was once a notorious federal prison that housed infamous criminals like Al Capone. Today it’s a national park and one of the most popular tourist attractions in San Francisco Bay.”
[Alcatraz Island]
Olga Rodriguez (interview): “But President Trump wants to, again, turn it into a federal prison to house the nation’s most violent criminal.”
[Alcatraz Island]
Olga Rodriguez (interview): “Alcatraz Prison closed in 1963 because it was falling apart and it was too expensive to transfer prisoners there and to bring in supplies by boat.”
[Alcatraz prison]
Olga Rodriguez (interview): “But President Trump has offered few details about the plan, which is likely to be costly and face local opposition.”
[Alcatraz Island]
Randy Doolittle (interview): “I think it’s a waste of money, way too expensive, hopefully it’s just all talk and not serious. Infrastructure, it’d be too hard to get potable water, infrastructure, sewer there, employees there to build it. It just wouldn’t be effective use of the taxpayer’s money.”
[Tourists in line and walking to Alcatraz city cruises boat]
Randy Doolittle (interview): “I like tough on criminals, but I don’t like wasting money on stupid ideas. Which is, I think it would be a stupid idea. Build out in the desert and be a little cheaper than building an island that people wanna use as tourist items.”
[Alcatraz city cruises boat backing away]
[Tourists walking on pier next to Alcatraz city cruises boat]
Nick Pernell (interview): “So, I thought this might be one of the last opportunities I get to go out to Alcatraz and see it before it becomes another prison and they close it to tourism. I wanted to take the chance to get out and see some of the history from its early days before they reconstruct it. If that happens.”
[Alcatraz Island]
Nick Pernell (interview): “As I’m here today, looking around it seems like this is a great tourist attraction and it’s making a lot of money for San Francisco and the Bay Area and I’d hate to see that go away if… if there was a different option that might have been better than reopening this prison instead of closing it as a national park.”
[Alcatraz Island]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.
