The US Navy runs a gift store in Guantanamo Bay, where you can buy 'Straight Outta Gitmo' mugs, stuffed toys, and beer koozies. Here's what it's like inside.

But life on the US naval base, surprisingly, resembles an American suburban town, and residents there don't like talking about the prison, journalist Sarah Mirk said.
It even has a souvenir shop that sells T-shirts, beer koozies, Frisbee discs, and mugs with "Straight Outta GTMO" written on them.
Take a look at the bizarre gift shop through Mirk's photos.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .

Less than five miles from the Guantanamo Bay military camp, where inmates are allegedly abused and tortured, is a gift shop that sells themed T-shirts, beer koozies, and mugs that say: "Straight Outta GTMO."

The gift store has existed since at least 2015, when The New York Times Magazine published photos of the souvenirs sold there at the time.

Take a look at what the gift shop looks like now in these photos taken by journalist Sarah Mirk . She visited the store in April and is currently writing a book about the base.

Welcome to southwestern Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, an island thats home to a US naval base and notorious high-security detention camp. The gift store and military prison are about 4.5 miles away from each other.

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Surrounding the gift shop which is operated by the US Navy Exchange are a number of familiar outlets, like Subway and McDonalds.

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Google Maps/Business Insider

The Navy Exchange is a retail store owned and operated by the US Navy, which Mirk descibed as a "big everything-you-need store you'll find on any Naval base."

There you can find multiple mini marts and a car rental service, according to the Navy Exchange website .

The base is home to about 6,000 people, which includes members of the US Navy, the 40 prisoners in the detention camp, and the 1,800 troops and contractors that operate it.

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Maren Hennemuth/picture alliance via Getty

The 40 prisoners were detained in the camp under former President George W Bush's "war on terror."

Former President Barack Obama signed an order in 2009 ordering the transfer or prosecution of the remaining inmates, and the closure of the camp "no later than one year" afterward.

Ten years later, this hasn't happened. The camp remains in use today.

Source: Miami Herald , Office of the Federal Register

But the people who live on the base have a fairly normal, almost suburban life. "Nobody likes talking about the prison. Illegal detention operations are the big elephant in the room," Mirk told Business Insider.

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Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo

The prison is located far away from the base and most people aren't allowed to go there, Mirk said, "so it feels like 'out of sight, out of mind.'"

According to The New York Times , the base hosts outdoor movie nights, weekly flamenco lessons, a kickball league, and even a yearly marathon.

"I was repeatedly struck by how something resembling suburban American life played out beside a detention system so un-American that it has intentionally been kept off American soil," Times correspondent Dave Philipps said.

When Mirk visited the base earlier this year, the local library was hosting an Escape Room "not ironically," she noted.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Courtesy of Sarah Mirk

Heres what the entrance of Guantanamo Bays Navy Exchange looked like in 2012. The souvenir shop is one part of the complex.

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Wikimedia Commons

The items on sale at the shop range from touristy to downright bizarre. First, heres a shelf of mugs with photos of the bay.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Courtesy of Sarah Mirk

Some other mugs have the flags of the US, Cuba, and Jamaica on them likely representing the countries whose citizens live on the base.

BusinessInsider USA Images

Courtesy of Sarah Mirk

More than a third of the residents on the naval base are Jamaicans and Filipinos on contract with the Department of Defense, and who unlike US sailors aren't allowed to bring their families, the Miami Herald reported .

BusinessInsider USA Images

Courtesy of Sarah Mirk

"Thats the image the United States government wants to maintain, too," Mirk added. "That the prison is safe, humane, and legal, and the prisoners arent having such a bad time on this tropical island."

BusinessInsider USA Images

REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

The US Navy runs a gift store in Guantanamo Bay, where you can buy 'Straight Outta Gitmo' mugs, stuffed toys, and beer koozies. Here's what it's like inside.

Recommended articles

Welcome to southwestern Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, an island thats home to a US naval base and notorious high-security detention camp. The gift store and military prison are about 4.5 miles away from each other.

Surrounding the gift shop which is operated by the US Navy Exchange are a number of familiar outlets, like Subway and McDonalds.

The base is home to about 6,000 people, which includes members of the US Navy, the 40 prisoners in the detention camp, and the 1,800 troops and contractors that operate it.

But the people who live on the base have a fairly normal, almost suburban life. "Nobody likes talking about the prison. Illegal detention operations are the big elephant in the room," Mirk told Business Insider.

When Mirk visited the base earlier this year, the local library was hosting an Escape Room "not ironically," she noted.

Heres what the entrance of Guantanamo Bays Navy Exchange looked like in 2012. The souvenir shop is one part of the complex.

The items on sale at the shop range from touristy to downright bizarre. First, heres a shelf of mugs with photos of the bay.

Some other mugs have the flags of the US, Cuba, and Jamaica on them likely representing the countries whose citizens live on the base.

This mug also references the base as GTMO the US militarys code name for Guantanamo Bay playing on the 1988 NWA album "Straight Outta Compton."

You can also find this graphic on various colors and styles of caps.

Elsewhere in the shop, you can also find branded Frisbee-style discs ...

... and even beer koozies.

Even though Mirk said most of the bases residents try not to bring up the detention camp, it looks like the shop doesnt mind mentioning it. This T-shirt with the words "JTF [Joint Task Force] GTMO Detention Operations" emblazoned on a graphic of barbed wire and security guards.

You can also buy hoodies with that wording and graphic in different colors.

Less serious T-shirt options are also available. Heres a shirt depicting a shocked-looking minion from the "Despicable Me" movie franchise with the words "Guantanamo Bay" on its chin.

The shop also sells caps and T-shirts of Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears with the words "Dad" and Mom" on them, with of course "Guantanamo Bay" underneath.

Kids can also go home with a stuffed, Guantanamo Bay-branded stuff vulture...

... or this branded, stuffed lizard-like creature. "The image the items in the gift shop presents is that Guantanamo is a fun in the sun, place full of exotic animals and beaches," Mirk said.

"Thats the image the United States government wants to maintain, too," Mirk added. "That the prison is safe, humane, and legal, and the prisoners arent having such a bad time on this tropical island."

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The US Navy runs a gift store in Guantanamo Bay, where you can buy 'Straight Outta Gitmo' mugs, stuffed toys, and beer koozies. Here's what it's like inside.

Recommended articles

Welcome to southwestern Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, an island thats home to a US naval base and notorious high-security detention camp. The gift store and military prison are about 4.5 miles away from each other.

Surrounding the gift shop which is operated by the US Navy Exchange are a number of familiar outlets, like Subway and McDonalds.

The base is home to about 6,000 people, which includes members of the US Navy, the 40 prisoners in the detention camp, and the 1,800 troops and contractors that operate it.

But the people who live on the base have a fairly normal, almost suburban life. "Nobody likes talking about the prison. Illegal detention operations are the big elephant in the room," Mirk told Business Insider.

When Mirk visited the base earlier this year, the local library was hosting an Escape Room "not ironically," she noted.

Heres what the entrance of Guantanamo Bays Navy Exchange looked like in 2012. The souvenir shop is one part of the complex.

The items on sale at the shop range from touristy to downright bizarre. First, heres a shelf of mugs with photos of the bay.

Some other mugs have the flags of the US, Cuba, and Jamaica on them likely representing the countries whose citizens live on the base.

This mug also references the base as GTMO the US militarys code name for Guantanamo Bay playing on the 1988 NWA album "Straight Outta Compton."

You can also find this graphic on various colors and styles of caps.

Elsewhere in the shop, you can also find branded Frisbee-style discs ...

... and even beer koozies.

Even though Mirk said most of the bases residents try not to bring up the detention camp, it looks like the shop doesnt mind mentioning it. This T-shirt with the words "JTF [Joint Task Force] GTMO Detention Operations" emblazoned on a graphic of barbed wire and security guards.

You can also buy hoodies with that wording and graphic in different colors.

Less serious T-shirt options are also available. Heres a shirt depicting a shocked-looking minion from the "Despicable Me" movie franchise with the words "Guantanamo Bay" on its chin.

The shop also sells caps and T-shirts of Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears with the words "Dad" and Mom" on them, with of course "Guantanamo Bay" underneath.

Kids can also go home with a stuffed, Guantanamo Bay-branded stuff vulture...

... or this branded, stuffed lizard-like creature. "The image the items in the gift shop presents is that Guantanamo is a fun in the sun, place full of exotic animals and beaches," Mirk said.

"Thats the image the United States government wants to maintain, too," Mirk added. "That the prison is safe, humane, and legal, and the prisoners arent having such a bad time on this tropical island."

FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA

Recommended articles

Offshore sportsbooks and best sports betting sites

Top 5 African cities with the most unaffordable real estate in 2024

US says it is still engaged with West African juntas

Opinion Piece: Accelerating sustainable development goals through better agricultural risk management

Zimbabwe is set to honor Russian victory with a monument

Top cross-border payment companies in Africa on recent global ranking

Studio Monkey in collaboration with Worldwide FM and Gilles Peterson launches initiative to support grassroot music communities

NexaScale marks one-year milestone with visionary initiatives empowering Africa's youth for the future of work

How Patrice Motsepe-backed GoSolr wants to solve South Africa's power crises

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