Let The Fire Burn: The City of Philidelphia vs MOVE ~ Emerald Quill

May 30, 2014

Let The Fire Burn: The City of Philidelphia vs MOVE

5/30/2014 Celestine Green 1 comment

MOVE Members

Almost twenty five years ago, the city of Philadelphia and MOVE collided, resulting in death and destruction. Here's the story for those who never heard it or those who can't quite remember it's tragic outcome.

MOVE or the MOVE Organization is a Philadelphia-based black liberation group founded by John Africa in 1972. MOVE is not an acronym, but a philosophy- move, work, generate. Anything that doesn't move is stagnant or dead. MOVE was described by CNN as "a loose-knit, mostly black group whose members all adopted the surname Africa, advocated a 'back-to-nature' lifestyle and preached against technology". The MOVE members lived in a commune in a house in the Powelton Village section of West Philadelphia. Africa and his followers (the majority of them African-American), wore their hair in dreadlocks and advocated a radical form of green politics and a return to a hunter-gatherer society while stating their opposition to science, medicine and technology. As John Africa himself had done, his devotees also changed their surnames to show reverence to Africa, which they regarded as their mother continent.

Since their founding, MOVE has been in frequent conflict with the Philadelphia Police Department. MOVE members staged bullhorn-amplified, profanity-laced demonstrations against institutions which they opposed morally, such as zoos (MOVE had strong views on animal rights), and speakers whose views they opposed. MOVE made compost piles of garbage and human waste in their yards which attracted rats and cockroaches; they considered it morally wrong to kill the vermin with pest control. MOVE attracted much hostility from their neighbors, the majority of whom were African-Americans.

Delbert Africa and Police

The actions by MOVE brought close scrutiny from the Philadelphia police. The police department made nearly 200 arrests of MOVE members, often for small street demonstrations. In 1976, six cops were injured in a scuffle with the group that somehow caused the death of a 3-week-old baby, Life Africa. After that, it was war. Another major incident occurred in 1978, when the police raided their Powelton Village home. This raid resulted in the imprisonment of nine group members, now known as the "MOVE 9". But when three cops were prosecuted for viciously kicking and beating MOVE member Delbert Africa on the sidewalk—an assault caught on camera—they were found not guilty.

A year-long standoff with police ensued over orders to vacate the Powelton Village MOVE house. MOVE failed to relocate as required by a court order. On August 8, 1978, an end to the stand-off was negotiated. When police later attempted entry, Philadelphia police officer James J. Ramp was killed by a shot to the back of the head. MOVE representatives claim that he was facing the house at the time, which would therefore contradict the notion that MOVE was responsible for his death. Seven other police officers, five firefighters, three MOVE members, and three bystanders were injured in an unrelated crossfire. As a result, nine MOVE members (now known as the MOVE 9) were found guilty of third-degree murder in the shooting death of a police officer. (Seven of the nine became eligible for parole in the spring of 2008, and all seven were denied parole. Parole hearings now occur yearly.)

In 1981, MOVE relocated to a row house at 6221 Osage Avenue in the Cobbs Creek area of West Philadelphia. Neighbors complained for years that MOVE members were broadcasting political messages by bullhorn at all hours and also about the health hazards created from piles of compost. On May 13, 1985, after the complaints as well as indictments of numerous MOVE members for crimes including parole violation, contempt of court, illegal possession of firearms, and making terrorist threats, the police department attempted to clear the building and arrest the indicted MOVE members.

Romona Africa

This led to an armed standoff. The police lobbed tear gas canisters at the building. MOVE members fired at the police, and the police returned fire with semiautomatic weapons. In an attempt to end the standoff , a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter dropped two one-pound bombs made of FBI-supplied water gel explosive, a dynamite substitute, targeting a fortified, bunker-like cubicle on the roof of the house. The explosion and ensuing fire killed 11 people, five children and six adults including the group's leader, John Africa.

Only two occupants survived—Ramona Africa, an adult, and Birdie Africa, a child. In addition, approximately 60 other (non-MOVE-affiliated) homes were destroyed 61 homes as the entire block burned.

Mayor Wilson Goode

Mayor W. Wilson Goode soon appointed an investigative commission called the PSIC or MOVE commission. It issued its report on March 6, 1986. The report denounced the actions of the city government, stating that "Dropping a bomb on an occupied row house was unconscionable." Even worse, in my opinion, was the conscience decision to "let the fire burn". No one from the city government was charged criminally.

In a 1996 civil suit in US federal court, a jury ordered the City of Philadelphia to pay $1.5 million to a survivor and relatives of two people killed in the bombing. The jury found that the city used excessive force and violated the members' constitutional protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Philadelphia was given the sobriquet "The City that Bombed Itself".

On the 25th anniversary of the 1985 Police bombing, the Philadelphia Inquirer created a detailed multimedia site containing retrospective articles, archived articles, videos, interviews, photos, and a timeline of the events.

In fall 2013 Let the Fire Burn, Jason Osder's powerful debut documentary composed largely of archival footage, was released. I watched the PBS airing of this documentary this week and highly recommend it. Slate Senior Editor Emily Bazelon did an excellent review of the film. In addition, there are a number of You Tube videos relating the story of this tragic event.