On August 11, 1934, the first prisoners arrive at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in California. Previously the site of a United States military fortification and prison, Alcatraz Island was acquired by the US Department of Justice in the 1930s and turned into a federal prison intended to house prisoners who had proven troublesome at other prisons. The first group of 137 prisoners arrived from the penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, and were escorted to island's prison under heavy guard, most of the prisoners being violent offenders such as bank robbers and murderers.
The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary operated from August 11, 1934, until its closing on March 21, 1963. During its ~29 year run, Alcatraz played host to several notable criminal figures including Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud ("The Birdman of Alcatraz"), George Kelly Barnes ("Machine Gun Kelly"), and Whitey Bulger. Despite the location of the prison in San Francisco Bay making escape even more dangerous than normal with the risk of drowning quite high, a estimated 36 inmates made escape attempts during Alcatraz's period of operations. Of these men, 23 were captured, 6 shot and killed during their attempts, 2 drowned, and 5 were "missing and presumed drowned."
In early May of 1946, six prisoners (Bernard Coy, Joseph Cretzer, Sam Shockley, Clarence Carnes, Marvin Hubbard and Miran Thompson) attempted to escape by boat but after their plan fell apart, took up captured arms and shot it out with the prison's guards in what came to be known as the Battle of Alcatraz. By the end of the confrontation, two guards had been taken hostage and killed while Shockley, Thompson, and Carnes surrendered and Cretzer, Coy, and Hubbard were killed by US Marines who had arrived to assist the guards. For the role in the engagement, Shockley and Thompson were sentenced to death by gas chamber (which was carried out at San Quentin in December 1948) while then 19-year-old Carnes was given a second life sentence.
Following the closing of the penitentiary, the island was occupied by the United Indians of All Tribes, an American Indian-rights group, as part of the movement to recognize the rights and sovereignty of the American Indian tribes which grew in the 1960s and '70s. The occupation was ended on June 11, 1971, following a change in government policies by President Richard Nixon and his administration which would recognized the right of American Indian tribes to self-determination.
The entirety of Alcatraz Island was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986. It is now a tourist destination featuring the history of the prison as well as its time as a site of American Indian-rights movement. The island now also hosts a number of art installations, including an exhibit by Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei.
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7 years, 5 months ago
11 Aug 2017 23:39 CEST
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