The Board of Supervisors hosted a mock hearing Wednesday, where seven student legislators from local elementary schools reviewed proposals from four of their peers for alternative uses of Alcatraz Island, challenging the federal government’s plan to reopen it as a prison.

As Mission Local reports, a group of third- through fifth-graders from San Francisco’s Tenderloin Community School, Bessie Carmichael Elementary, and Redding Elementary School, who all attend the 826 Valencia writing program, held court at City Hall Wednesday for the first time in the board’s history. The meeting was even recorded by the award-winning SFGovTV, but SFist was unable to find the video footage.

In addition to the seven child legislators, District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar and District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey (whose district covers Alcatraz) were also in attendance, along with the four kid presenters and the remaining students testifying in support of the proposals. Melgar, Dorsey, and the board clerk’s office staff educated the students on how a real hearing operates, including which buttons to push and protocol surrounding public comment and question-and-answer sessions, per Mission Local.

As to be expected, the four highly creative proposals involved a water park, a giant playground, and animal sanctuaries. Nine-year-old Allen Truong suggested that the island be turned into a bird sanctuary. “We need to keep them safe from vehicles that can crush them,” Truong said. “The birds deserve to have their babies in peace.”

“Our city animal is the parrot. What other birds do you think need protection?” Melgar asked Truong.

“Pigeons, I would say,” Truong responded. Indeed.

Dorsey mused that the proposed options were much more appealing than the reality. “I will say, I’m glad I don’t have to make a choice which one I would pick,” Dorsey said. “But I can confidently say that all of these are better ideas than what we have in the Trump administration right now.”

Image: Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr

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