San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Don’t plant lilies on ‘The Rock’
Harry was in town for half an hour. Would I like to have an apple turnover with him at the Greyhound Bus Depot? Sure I would. We met by the magazine stand and walked to the counter.
“Last time I saw you,” he said, “you had white sunglasses.”
“What a thing to remember!”
He smiled grimly: “My memory’s as long as my prison record.”
A parole office had introduced us a few years ago, shortly after his release from Alcatraz. Harry had done time for counterfeiting. His fingers (he said) could touch a paper bill and tell its denomination.
There was also an intellect. He had written some articles about prison life, but I’d had no luck helping him get them published.
“They were too realistic,” he mused, dunking the turnover in his coffee, “that new book by J. Campbell Bruce —what’s it called? Oh yeah. ‘Escape From Alcatraz’ — it’s the first true story of The Rock.
“A lot of people won’t believe it. It hurts their conscience. And it should! We didn’t much care for being a tourist attraction, standing there day after day with a panoramic view of paradise!”
He stopped and fair with live music as well as all sorts of sausage and other food paired with an extensive selection of craft beers and wine. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun., Oct. 7. Free. Parrott St., Downtown San Leandro. sanleandrodowntownassociation.org/ events/sausage-and-suds
S.F. Music Day A day of free live music on four stages by 36 local ensembles and 160 musicians spanning genres including jazz, experimental, classical, electronic, acoustic and more. Noon-8 p.m. Sun., Sept. 30. Free. San Francisco War Memorial Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Ave., S.F. www.intermusicsf.org/sfmd
Shoptoberfest Treasurefest presents an autumn outdoor flea market with unique goods and collectibles for sale, live entertainment, food trucks, workshops, children’s activities and more. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun., Sept. 30. $5. 500 Ave. N, Treasure Island, S.F. www.treasurefest.com
UC Botanical Garden Fall Plant Sale Exotic and unusual plants such as rare cycads and palms, carnivorous plants, succulents, California natives, sighed. “I shouldn’t be hitting you with it, should I?”
“Alcatraz is empty, Harry. All that’s over.
“That’s why I wanted to talk to you. Everyone’s being so cute subtropicals, houseplants, and a wide selection of droughttolerant plants from around the world. 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sun., Sept. 30. Free. UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr., Berkeley. botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu/fall-plantsale
The What. Summit A conference and networking event intended to empower, inform and build community between female professionals with speakers including Debra Messing, Bee Shapiro, Kimberly Ellis, Jane Metcalf as well as workshops, social events and more. See website for full schedule. Sat., Oct. 6. $799$1299. Golden Gate Club, 135 Fisher Loop, S.F. thewhatlist.com/the-what-summit
WorldWideWomen Girls’ Festival A day of fun and empowerment for girls with over 100 activities including an interactive expo, maker’s fair, more than 20 workshops, live performances, coding classes and more. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., Oct. 6. $15-$20. Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara. worldwidewomen.co/girls-festival about what to do with it; put fountains on it, make it into a gambling casino, a pigeon refuge ... ”
“There’s only one thing to do with The Rock,” he declared, “open it to the public. Let people see the dark, damp holes they called ‘solitary’; let them walk through the cell blocks, the yard, the bug cage and the dungeons. Let them see this wonderful memorial to ‘enlightened’ penology.
“No use pretending it never existed,” he continued after a pause. “They want to plant a lily on a tomb. Well, they can’t. It’ll take at least a century for the cold bay winds to blow away the stench.”
Harry gulped his coffee and uttered a final word.
“Believe me,” he said, “if San Franciscans have any character whatsoever, they’ll leave that miserable island exactly as it is … ”
This column originally appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle on Aug. 30, 1963.