Should Alcatraz Be Restored, Reopened,, and Renamed?

President Donald Trump shared an idea of how to “restore justice in America.” His idea was to “REBUILD, AND OPEN ALCATRAZ!” After sharing his idea on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump added, “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 finished his long post on Truth Social: “The reopening of ALCATRAZ will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE. We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Jarrett Stepman supported Trump’s idea in his article posted at The Daily Signal. He also suggested that Trump should do more than “just open a prison on Alcatraz Island” but should also “put a new monument on there too.”  Here is his reasoning for his suggestion. 

If the East Coast has a Statue of Liberty, then it only makes sense for the West Coast to have a corresponding Statue of Justice to recognize that from sea to shining sea, we desire liberty and justice for all. It coincides perfectly with Trump’s message of there being a new golden age for America….

However, San Francisco politicians like Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. are already whining about reopening the prison….

This isn’t the first time a Statue of Justice has been proposed for Alcatraz. When the prison facility was closed in 1963, there was a serious public discussion of what to do with the island.

Fredric Fosshage, an ordinary citizen from West Bend, Wisconsin wrote a letter to the mayor’s office in 1965 with the suggestion to build the Statue of Justice monument….

… The statue would be a powerful symbol of American commitment to justice at home and abroad in an uncertain world.

Instead of destroying our history or engaging in perpetual, self-loathing navel gazing we should be elevating the noble ways that we looked to the future in our past. America stands as a pillar of liberty and justice, so let’s have a physical representation of that standing strong and gazing out form the West Coast….

The timing for such a project couldn’t be more important….

We shouldn’t just look at the empty pedestals around the country and shrug. Go on offense. Declare boldly what America was and will be again.

A towering statue designed and built by an American artist or group of artists would send a message not just for our own time but for the decades and centuries ahead.

Trump already signed an executive order for “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” He’s made pro-American greatness symbolism a serious part of his second term agenda. So why not include a great building project to symbolize a return to justice in America, where our border laws are enforced, where violent criminals stay behind bars, and the legal system is no longer weaponized to target political foes?

A massive golden Statue of Justice standing watch at the heart of the Golden Gate is the perfect way to send the message that America is great … and just … again. To top off the restoration, the whole place should be renamed "MAGATRAZ!"