But it is not permissible that the authors of devastation should also be innocent. It is the innocence which constitutes the crime.
James Baldwin
From 1970 to present, the US prison population rose from 200,000 to over 2.5 million people. This population is disproportionately comprised of people of color. African Americans represent 13% of the US population but 40% of people in prisons and jails. The incarceration rate for African Americans is 2,805 per 100,000, a rate higher than South Africa's before the end of apartheid. Hispanics comprise another 22% of the US's incarcerated population. In all, seventy percent of US prisoners are people of color. We live under a racist carceral system.
One part of this system is the Auburn Prison. Built in the early 19th century, the prison certainly predates the development of the modern carceral state. But as Austin Reed's *The Life and Adventures of a Haunted Convict* (1859) demonstrates, the connections between racism and incarceration at Auburn Prison go back to its beginnings. And they continue into the present. As of 2010, 54 percent of the prison's population was African American; 23% of prisoners identified as Hispanic. (In contrast, out of 556 correctional officers, 11 were African American, 4 Hispanic.) A survey of inmates conducted by the Prison Visiting Project revealed that racial harassment was common. In short, Auburn Prison stands today as a monument to the barbarism of our society.
A few blocks down the street, Prison City Brewery opened in late 2014, serving award-winning beers and a menu of New American gastropub fare. Like many restaurants today, the owners celebrate the "local." In this case, they cheekily pay homage to the city's famous prison. The "Mass Riot" IPA recently took national honors. The pub's décor includes an assortment of photographs of the prison's cell blocks and exercise yard. But the most striking part of the restaurant's theme is the Mug Club, a spot near the back of the dining area where patrons can take mug shot selfies or for a price have their photo taken and posted on the wall as a declaration of membership (with associated mug, invitations to special events, etc.). During my recent visit, a steady stream of diners stopped to take pictures of themselves, posing ironically for faux mug shots to be posted later for friends and followers. But unlike the prisoners down the road, every last one of these diners was white and having a good time while enjoying delicious food. (According to the Prison Visiting Project, Auburn Prison regularly serves prisoners "loaf"--a bland mix of vegetable, grains and meat--as punishment.)
Which brings us to food. On the day of my visit, the daily specials included a fried chicken sandwich with watermelon drizzle and flat bread with Jamaican jerk chicken. I ordered the latter--fine, if under-seasoned. But honestly, I had trouble concentrating on the food. Instead I was skimming through Yelp reviews to see if these specials were part of a regular borrowing from Black food traditions. And, in fact, other Yelpers highlight the presence of soul food standards like shrimp & grits, chicken & waffles. Now, I am no advocate of cultural purity. But in this context, the appropriation of Black culinary traditions was jarring.
It got me thinking about the connections between the jerked meat I was eating and the history of marronage, how enslaved Africans in Jamaica escaped captivity, then avoided recapture by cooking spiced meats underground so rising smoke would not reveal their location. I thought about how the pub's celebration of the local encompasses their choice of ingredients and theme. But their idea of local traditions excludes the other major tourist attraction of Auburn: Harriet Tubman's historic home. I thought about how this restaurant could serve similar fare but with the theme of freedom struggles. What might an abolitionist-themed restaurant look like? Pictures of Tubman and John Brown over the tables? Hiring formerly incarcerated people? The restaurant could develop a sliding scale menu so that families visiting their locked-up loved ones down the street could afford a nice meal to offer them succor during an emotionally-demanding trip. (Over half of Auburn Prison's population is from New York City.) I wondered, what might those families make of the Mug Club? How might their presence disrupt the joy of a white father ironically taking a mug shot of his innocent baby? Who is afforded the status of innocent? What the hell are these mindless sadistic pleasures about? I thought about James Baldwin. (He has a lot of answers.) I thought about the homes adorned with "Blue Lives Matter" and Confederate flags that I drove past on the way to Auburn.
Finally, I thought about writing this review. Perhaps it is an odd restaurant review. But we live in a very odd world. Deal with it. read more