To the publisher: My first reaction to President Trump's suggestion that Alcatraz was reopened (at high cost) was “no way” (“Trump orders Alcatraz prison to reopen for the most ruthless and violent” criminals “”, “ May 4). But, after having thought of it, I could support his reopening if he had to add a suite to house the presidents of the criminal.
David L. Burdick, Ridgecrest
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To the publisher: I can see Trump Tooling around Mar-A-Alcatraz fawrways in his little golf cart now. Redecorating the consequences would keep him occupied for years, and that would keep him out of our hair. I am absolutely for that, as long as it is not allowed to leave.
She crane, carlsbad
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To the publisher: Trump's order to reopen Alcatraz is a joke! He likes to speak hard on criminals but pardoned the rioters of January 6 who attacked the congress and injured the Capitol police.
Anyone who has visited Alcatraz as a tourist can tell him that hundreds of millions of dollars would be needed to rebuild him. The United States already has operational prisons available for house criminals. Use them!
Carol Karas, Camallo
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To the publisher: A quick visit to Alcatraz (or research on superficial Google) would show that it was closed Because it was so much more expensive whether regular or even supermax prisons. As if we needed more evidence of this administration than cruelty is the point: it is deemed “effective” to reduce the services and employees who serve the American people, but the silver tap is open to imprison them in the country or abroad in the worst possible conditions.
Michael Smallberg, Menlo Park, California.
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To the publisher: With all the current polarization, a reopening of Alcatraz could offer an opportunity for a refreshing compromise. Would it be possible to accommodate dangerous criminals in Alcatraz and pursue it as a tourist attraction? I'm sure many people would like to see real “vicious and violent” criminals at a safety distance, perhaps behind plexiglass screens like a zoo. But not a children's zoo, of course.
Michael Donelly, Covina
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To the editor: Speaking as a person in the construction sector, I can tell you that the only way to make a practical use of the island is to scratch it completely and rebuild from zero. Even then, you would finish with the most expensive prison and the most difficult to maintain in the world.
Peter Scofield, Corona del Mar
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To the publisher: Alcatraz is a horror and a symbol of man's inhumanity to man. The structures must be shaved and the island is returned to its natural state.
Joseph Gius, Los Angeles
