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| New Alcatraz-themed east London bar 'fetishises misfortune' | New Alcatraz-themed east London bar 'fetishises misfortune' |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| Alcotraz, ‘London’s first prison cocktail bar’, is a three-month pop-up bar and immersive experience inspired by San Francisco jail | |
| Nadia Khomami and Jack Colyer | |
| Fri 29 Sep 2017 12.48 BST | |
| Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 16.13 GMT | |
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| A new Alacatraz prison-themed bar in east London has been accused of being in poor taste by charities and the latest in the “fetishisation of misfortune” by critics. | A new Alacatraz prison-themed bar in east London has been accused of being in poor taste by charities and the latest in the “fetishisation of misfortune” by critics. |
| Alcotraz, which bills itself as “London’s first prison cocktail bar”, is a three-month pop-up bar and immersive experience inspired by the notorious San Francisco prison that housed some of the world’s most dangerous felons. | Alcotraz, which bills itself as “London’s first prison cocktail bar”, is a three-month pop-up bar and immersive experience inspired by the notorious San Francisco prison that housed some of the world’s most dangerous felons. |
| The Brick Lane bar promises to “replicate the eerie atmosphere and mystery associated with prison life” for the price of £30. “Inmates”, who will don orange jumpsuits, are asked to bring a bottle of spirit that an expert mixologist will shake into personalised cocktails for them. Each session lasts one hour and 45 minutes, but additional hours can be purchased for £10 per prisoner. | The Brick Lane bar promises to “replicate the eerie atmosphere and mystery associated with prison life” for the price of £30. “Inmates”, who will don orange jumpsuits, are asked to bring a bottle of spirit that an expert mixologist will shake into personalised cocktails for them. Each session lasts one hour and 45 minutes, but additional hours can be purchased for £10 per prisoner. |
| The bar is the brainchild of Sam Shearman, founder of Inventive Productions, who said: “While being a hugely fun experience, this new pop-up will allow visitors to experience a slice of Alcatraz penitentiary only seen by most in fiction.” | The bar is the brainchild of Sam Shearman, founder of Inventive Productions, who said: “While being a hugely fun experience, this new pop-up will allow visitors to experience a slice of Alcatraz penitentiary only seen by most in fiction.” |
| Customers – or “convicts” – are given an inmate number and directed into a cell for the duration of their time. The bar’s website has a letter from “Inmate #88”, who writes: “Prison life has its ups and downs but I have found a way to make it more bearable! … The guards have let me keep my collection of homemade syrups, juices and bitters from my previous life behind the bar.” | Customers – or “convicts” – are given an inmate number and directed into a cell for the duration of their time. The bar’s website has a letter from “Inmate #88”, who writes: “Prison life has its ups and downs but I have found a way to make it more bearable! … The guards have let me keep my collection of homemade syrups, juices and bitters from my previous life behind the bar.” |
| Charities have slammed the bar for being tone deaf. Jane Gould Smith, acting chief executive of the charity Clean Sheet, said it was trivialising a serious matter. “Prison is not fun,” Smith said. “I do not endorse customers paying 30 quid a pop for a cheap thrill, to pretend to play drug smugglers trying to smuggle contraband, which is a huge issue in prisons. | Charities have slammed the bar for being tone deaf. Jane Gould Smith, acting chief executive of the charity Clean Sheet, said it was trivialising a serious matter. “Prison is not fun,” Smith said. “I do not endorse customers paying 30 quid a pop for a cheap thrill, to pretend to play drug smugglers trying to smuggle contraband, which is a huge issue in prisons. |
| “It does not address the issues that are endemic in our prison system and in our society. The fact that they pay £30 in what is becoming a relatively affluent area of London shows how disconnected they are from the realities of our struggling prison system. It is utterly tone deaf. | “It does not address the issues that are endemic in our prison system and in our society. The fact that they pay £30 in what is becoming a relatively affluent area of London shows how disconnected they are from the realities of our struggling prison system. It is utterly tone deaf. |
| Smith said Clean Sheet had 98 employers representing 16,500 business sites that gave former offenders a second chance: “The least Alcotraz could do is take on ex-offenders and help to rehabilitate them.” | Smith said Clean Sheet had 98 employers representing 16,500 business sites that gave former offenders a second chance: “The least Alcotraz could do is take on ex-offenders and help to rehabilitate them.” |
| Christopher Stacey, the co-director of Unlock, a charity for people with convictions, said: “For the bar to genuinely reflect the realities of prison life, I would encourage the owners of the bar to look seriously at employing people who have served a prison sentence. | Christopher Stacey, the co-director of Unlock, a charity for people with convictions, said: “For the bar to genuinely reflect the realities of prison life, I would encourage the owners of the bar to look seriously at employing people who have served a prison sentence. |
| “Employment is a key factor in reducing reoffending, so this is an opportunity for the owners to put their money where their mouth is and give jobs to people that might be struggling to move on in their life after serving time in prison.” | “Employment is a key factor in reducing reoffending, so this is an opportunity for the owners to put their money where their mouth is and give jobs to people that might be struggling to move on in their life after serving time in prison.” |
| One ex-offender, Jack, told the Guardian that no person who has been inside prison would condone this kind of bar. “Prison isn’t all pool and Playstations,” he said. “Lives are lost behind those doors. I’ve known at least three or four people take their own life in prison whilst I was there. The whole thing about ‘sneaking alcohol past the warden’. Well, if they’d ever tried prison ‘hooch’, they’d be clawing at the walls to get out of the place. It’s vile. | One ex-offender, Jack, told the Guardian that no person who has been inside prison would condone this kind of bar. “Prison isn’t all pool and Playstations,” he said. “Lives are lost behind those doors. I’ve known at least three or four people take their own life in prison whilst I was there. The whole thing about ‘sneaking alcohol past the warden’. Well, if they’d ever tried prison ‘hooch’, they’d be clawing at the walls to get out of the place. It’s vile. |
| “Something like this should not be hyped up. If they want to replicate prison life, then they should drag customers in to a 8ft-by-12ft room in the middle of summer, with only a small window, a toilet less than 2ft from the head of their bed, on a metal-framed bed with a mattress as thin as a cigarette paper and leave them in there for 14 hours. Give them a budget of £1.90 for their day’s food and charge them double for any luxuries they may want. Then I’d say that was more like prison.” | “Something like this should not be hyped up. If they want to replicate prison life, then they should drag customers in to a 8ft-by-12ft room in the middle of summer, with only a small window, a toilet less than 2ft from the head of their bed, on a metal-framed bed with a mattress as thin as a cigarette paper and leave them in there for 14 hours. Give them a budget of £1.90 for their day’s food and charge them double for any luxuries they may want. Then I’d say that was more like prison.” |
| Others criticised the theme of the bar on social media: | Others criticised the theme of the bar on social media: |
| And the latest in completely outrageous fetishization of misfortune/poverty/prison by the restaurant industry: https://t.co/UPlDNoZf3H | And the latest in completely outrageous fetishization of misfortune/poverty/prison by the restaurant industry: https://t.co/UPlDNoZf3H |
| The team behind the bar said: “The experience ... gently nods to stories associated with Alcatraz Island, brought to life in movies such as Escape from Alcatraz and The Rock. In addition, the bar gives subtle nods towards TV shows such as Orange is the New Black and classic movies including The Shawshank Redemption. | The team behind the bar said: “The experience ... gently nods to stories associated with Alcatraz Island, brought to life in movies such as Escape from Alcatraz and The Rock. In addition, the bar gives subtle nods towards TV shows such as Orange is the New Black and classic movies including The Shawshank Redemption. |
| “As always, sometimes issues as such can be misinterpreted or misunderstood and we are trying to ensure we are not offending or upsetting victims of imprisonment. The company behind Alcotraz, Inventive Productions, is also working to see how it can partner with local communities to promote rehabilitation initiatives and encourage a greater learning of what took place within Alcatraz.” | “As always, sometimes issues as such can be misinterpreted or misunderstood and we are trying to ensure we are not offending or upsetting victims of imprisonment. The company behind Alcotraz, Inventive Productions, is also working to see how it can partner with local communities to promote rehabilitation initiatives and encourage a greater learning of what took place within Alcatraz.” |
| Shearman insisted the bar was not in poor taste. He told Eater SF that Alcatraz, which closed more than 50 years ago, was one of San Franciso’s largest tourist attractions. The Londoner has visited it three times, collecting postcards and memorabilia that will be displayed at his bar. “The purpose of the bar is not to romanticise any wrongdoing,” Shearman said. “The bar just gently opens the door to fiction and TV showing Alcatraz.” | Shearman insisted the bar was not in poor taste. He told Eater SF that Alcatraz, which closed more than 50 years ago, was one of San Franciso’s largest tourist attractions. The Londoner has visited it three times, collecting postcards and memorabilia that will be displayed at his bar. “The purpose of the bar is not to romanticise any wrongdoing,” Shearman said. “The bar just gently opens the door to fiction and TV showing Alcatraz.” |
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