Carcer City
Carcer City is a city located near Liberty City. It was used in another Rockstar game, involving a mass murderer named James Earl Cash. Both of these cities are located in the eastern coast of Rockstar's fictional America-type country. Besides all of this, Carcer City is an industrial town north of Liberty City with corrupt police chief Gary Schafer and a snuff film director who apparently calls the shots in town. There are white supremacists, murderers, and other sorts of criminals and rogues who rampage through the streets of Carcer City. Carcer City is most likely based off Newark, Detroit, Philidelphia or Cleveland.
Residents and Places
- Lionel Starkweather, a.k.a. The Director
The purported ruler of Carcer City. He owns the police and makes many snuff films, in which the murders are real, in the city.
- Gary Schaffer
The crooked Police chief of Carcer City. He is paid by Starkweather and often takes bribes. He is first mentioned in Grand Theft Auto III for being cleared of charges of corruption, but all of the witnesses in the case have gone missing. Many residents believe he is truly guilty, but he and Starkweather control the courts in Carcer City.
The following are many of the popular locations in Carcer City.
- Carcer Zoo : Formerly a perfect place to make a trip with your family, it used to feature over a hundred different animals from all over the world, and is located in the heart of the city. Lately it had been ruled by gangs and all the animals have escaped. It is thought it is used by gangs as a hideout and a home for the city's worst thugs.
- Darkwoods Penitentiary : Formerly a large mental asylum. The inmates have all escaped and formed their own psychopathic gang "the smilies". The asylum being their only turf.
References from Grand Theft Auto
- In Grand Theft Auto III A news segment on the in-game radio station Lips 106 reports that "police chief Gary Schaeffer was cleared of corruption charges in a controversial decision by the courts." This is an obvious allusion to a prominent character in this game. This shows that the police chief has been corrupt for two years (or more) before the events of Manhunt (most likely due to him dealing with Starkweather).
There is also a "ghost town" in Liberty City, which is sometimes erroneously dubbed Carcer City.
* In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City A mattress store has a poster that reads, "The Best Mattresses in Carcer".
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas In the beginning of the game, a radio advertisement for Carcer City makes references to steel mills being closed and "dining in the glow of the Flaming River," which may be the best indication of the city's inspiration. Many steel mills in the Midwest closed during the era when the game was set, including those in Pittsburgh, PA, Philadelphia, PA, Cleveland, Ohio, and Detroit, MI. The "Flaming River" is a clear reference to the "Burning River", a period in the 1970s where the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio was polluted enough that it caught fire.
Also in the beginning, a woman on the WCTR show "The Wild Traveler" calls from Carcer City asking why would anyone want to vacation there. When bumped into, a pedestrian says "Hey! This isn't Carcer City OKAY!" On the Shores of Palamino Creek north of Los Santos there are several large objects with the words "Carcer City" on them. In Zero's RC store, there is an action figure of James Earl Cash, along with Piggsy, Tommy Vercetti and Lance Vance. One pedestrian is noted to say (after CJ murders somebody) "I'm moving to Carcer City". A radio ad appears near the end of the game talking about Carcer City that is along the lines of "This is real America!" which is said at the end of the ad. In the first cutscene at the airport, it is seen on the arrivals board that one flight is from Carcer City.
- In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Civilian Ken calls "The Electron Zone" on LCFR (asking about the Internet) and states that he is "calling from Carcer City."
- In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Various pedestrians claim to have previous occupations in Carcer City; some say, "I was a plumber in Carcer City!'
Etymology
The Latin word carcere, which means prison, is also apparent in the word carceral state, which means: a state modeled on a prison. It is also apparent in 'incarcerate', meaning; to imprison.
In geomancy, Carcer is one of the Seven figures of Western Geomancy. It is the figurative outline of an enclosure or prison cell (similar to the word carcere).
