Editing MOVE (Philadelphia organization) (section)

== Origins ==
The group's name, MOVE, is not an acronym.<ref name="USAaccount">[https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-11-philadelphia-bombing_x.htm Account of 1985 incident from ''USA Today''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702101434/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-11-philadelphia-bombing_x.htm |date=July 2, 2012 }}.</ref> Its founder, [[John Africa]], chose this name to say what they intended to do. Members intend to be active because they say, "Everything that's alive moves. If it didn't, it would be stagnant, dead."<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://onamove.com/about/|title=About MOVE – On a Move|website=onamove.com|access-date=March 18, 2018|archive-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812095649/https://onamove.com/about/|url-status=live}}</ref> When members greet each other they say "on the MOVE".<ref name=":2" />

When the organization was founded in 1972, John Africa was [[functionally illiterate]].<ref>{{cite book|title = John Africa|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UdrTAQAAQBAJ&q=john+africa+functionally+illiterate&pg=PR13|access-date = April 17, 2015|isbn = 9781483637884|last1 = James|first1 = Louise Leaphart|date = September 26, 2013|publisher = Xlibris US|archive-date = June 17, 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240617124049/https://books.google.com/books?id=UdrTAQAAQBAJ&q=john+africa+functionally+illiterate&pg=PR13|url-status = live}}</ref> He dictated his thoughts to Donald Glassey, a [[social worker]] from the [[University of Pennsylvania]], and created what he called "The Guidelines" as the basis for his [[Intentional community|communal]] group.<ref name="philadelphiaencyclopedia.org"/> Africa and his mostly [[African-American]] followers wore their hair in [[dreadlocks]], as popularized by [[Rastafari]]. MOVE advocated a radical form of [[green politics]] and a return to a [[hunter-gatherer]] society, while stating their opposition to [[science]], [[medicine]], and [[technology]].<ref>{{cite web|title=An inauspicious beginning|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/special_packages/dailynews/20100506_An_inauspicious_beginning.html|website=philly.com|access-date=February 21, 2015|archive-date=May 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521201536/https://www.philly.com/philly/news/special_packages/dailynews/20100506_An_inauspicious_beginning.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Members of MOVE identify as deeply religious and advocate for life. They believe that as all living beings are dependent, their lives should be treated as equally important. They advocate for justice that is not always based within institutions. MOVE members believe that for something to be just, it must be just for all living creatures.<ref name=":2" /> As John Africa had done, his followers changed their surnames to "[[Africa]]" to show reverence to what they regarded as their mother continent.<ref name="cnn96">{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9606/24/move.vertict/|title=CNN – Philadelphia, city officials ordered to pay $1.5 million in MOVE case|date=June 24, 1996|work=cnn.com|access-date=August 1, 2002|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323150627/http://www.cnn.com/US/9606/24/move.vertict/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name = "Anderson & Hevenor">John Anderson and Hilary Hevenor, ''Burning Down the House: MOVE and the tragedy of Philadelphia'', W.W. Norton & Co., 1987, {{ISBN|0-393-02460-1}}</ref><ref name="DemocracyNow">[http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/13/25_years_ago_philadelphia_police_bombs 25 Years Ago: Philadelphia Police Bombs MOVE Headquarters Killing 11, Destroying 65 Homes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926200252/https://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/13/25_years_ago_philadelphia_police_bombs |date=September 26, 2021 }}, democracynow.org. Retrieved May 14, 2015.</ref>

In a 2018 article about the group, Ed Pilkington of ''[[The Guardian]]'' described their political views as "a strange fusion of [[black power]] and [[flower power]]. The group that formed in the early 1970s melded the revolutionary ideology of the [[Black Panthers]] with the nature- and animal-loving communalism of 1960s [[hippies]]. You might characterise them as black liberationists-cum-eco warriors."<ref name="siege"/> He noted the group also functioned as an [[animal rights]] advocacy organization. Pilkington quoted member Janine Africa, who wrote to him from prison: "We demonstrated against [[puppy mills]], [[zoos]], [[circuses]], any form of enslavement of animals. We demonstrated against [[Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station|Three Mile Island]] and [[industrial waste|industrial pollution]]. We demonstrated against [[police brutality]]. And we did so uncompromisingly. [[Slavery in the United States|Slavery]] never ended, it was just disguised."<ref name="siege">{{cite news|last=Pilkington|first=Ed|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/31/a-siege-a-bomb-48-dogs-and-the-black-commune-that-would-not-surrender|title=A siege. A bomb. 48 dogs. And the black commune that would not surrender|date=July 31, 2018|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=July 31, 2018|archive-date=June 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617123946/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/31/a-siege-a-bomb-48-dogs-and-the-black-commune-that-would-not-surrender|url-status=live}}</ref>

John Africa and his followers lived in a commune in a house owned by Glassey in the [[Powelton Village, Philadelphia|Powelton Village]] section of [[West Philadelphia]]. As activists, they staged demonstrations against institutions that they opposed, such as zoos, and speakers whose views they opposed. MOVE activities were scrutinized by law enforcement authorities,<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title='Let The Fire Burn': A Philadelphia Community Forever Changed|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/06/25/195533165/the-fire-that-transformed-a-philadelphia-community|website=npr.org|publisher=NPR|access-date=February 21, 2015|archive-date=February 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227045037/https://www.npr.org/2013/06/25/195533165/the-fire-that-transformed-a-philadelphia-community|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Survivor Remembers Bombing Of Philadelphia Headquarters|url=http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/05/13/survivor-remembers-bombing-of-philadelphia-headquarters/|website=philadelphia.cbslocal.com|date=May 13, 2013|publisher=CBS Philly|access-date=February 15, 2015|archive-date=January 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116054149/https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/05/13/survivor-remembers-bombing-of-philadelphia-headquarters/|url-status=live}}</ref> particularly under the administration of [[Mayor of Philadelphia|Mayor]] [[Frank Rizzo]], a former [[police commissioner]] known for his hard line against [[activist groups]].<ref name="siege" />

In 1977, three MOVE members were jailed for inciting a riot, occasioning further tension, protests, and armed displays from the group.

=== 1978 shoot-out ===<!-- This section heading is the target of the Rdrs "Move Nine", "MOVE 9", etc. They must be retargetted if this section's title stops being "1978 shoot-out" -->
In 1977, according to police accounts, the [[Philadelphia Police Department]] (PPD) obtained a [[court order]] for MOVE to vacate the Powelton Village property in response to a series of complaints made by neighbors. <!-- Give example of what is meant -->MOVE members agreed to vacate and surrender their weapons if the PPD released members of their group held in city jails.<ref name=":1" />

Nearly a year later, on August 8, 1978, the PPD came to a standoff with members of MOVE who had not left the Powelton Village property.<ref>The video from all the documentaries was shot from 310 N 33rd Street facing East-Northeast</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=August 8, 1978|title=Nose to Nose -|url=https://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,946962,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820195409/https://time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,946962,00.html|archive-date=August 20, 2007|access-date=December 10, 2020|magazine=TIME}}</ref> When police attempted to enter the house, a shootout ensued. PPD Officer James J. Ramp of the Stakeout Unit (now known as the S.W.A.T. Unit), was killed by a gunshot to the neck. 16 police officers and firefighters were also injured in the firefight.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/05/13/406243272/im-from-philly-30-years-later-im-still-trying-to-make-sense-of-the-move-bombing|title=I'm from Philly 30 years later I'm still trying to make sense of the MOVE bombing|last=Demby|first=Gene|date=May 13, 2015|publisher=NPR|access-date=March 18, 2018|archive-date=November 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111094018/https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/05/13/406243272/im-from-philly-30-years-later-im-still-trying-to-make-sense-of-the-move-bombing|url-status=live}}</ref> MOVE representatives claimed that Ramp was facing the house at the time and denied that the group was responsible for his death, insisting that he was killed by [[friendly fire|fire from fellow police officers]].<ref name="Pilkington">{{cite news |last1=Pilkington |first1=Ed |title=Move 9 women freed after 40 years in jail over Philadelphia police siege |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/25/move-9-black-radicals-women-freed-philadelphia |access-date=May 28, 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=May 25, 2019 |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617124049/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/25/move-9-black-radicals-women-freed-philadelphia |url-status=live }}</ref> Prosecutors alleged that MOVE members fired the fatal shot and charged Debbie Sims Africa and eight other MOVE members with collective responsibility for his death.

According to a 2018 article in ''The Guardian'', 
<blockquote>"Eyewitnesses, however, gave accounts suggesting that the shot may have come from the opposite direction to the basement, raising the possibility that Ramp was accidentally felled by police fire. MOVE members continue to insist that they had no workable guns in their house at the time of the siege. Several months earlier, in May 1978, several guns – most of them inoperative – had been handed over to police at the MOVE house; however, prosecutors at the trial of the MOVE Nine told the jury that at the time of the August siege there had been functioning firearms in the house."<ref name="huge"/></blockquote>The standoff lasted about an hour before MOVE members began to surrender.<ref>{{Cite web|title=40 Years a Prisoner|url=https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/40-years-a-prisoner|access-date=May 5, 2021|website=HBO|language=en|archive-date=April 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429015623/https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/40-years-a-prisoner|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Hornaday|first=Ann|title=Review {{!}} HBO documentary about the 1978 MOVE standoff is a distressing look at the past — and the present|language=en-US|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/40-years-a-prisoner-movie-review/2020/12/08/a032d77a-3590-11eb-b59c-adb7153d10c2_story.html|access-date=May 5, 2021|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=December 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227042600/https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/40-years-a-prisoner-movie-review/2020/12/08/a032d77a-3590-11eb-b59c-adb7153d10c2_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===The MOVE 9===
The nine members of MOVE charged with [[third-degree murder]] for Ramp's death became known as the MOVE 9. Each was sentenced to a maximum of 100 years in prison. They were Chuck, Delbert, Eddie, Janet, Janine, Merle, Michael, Phil, and Debbie Sims Africa.

In 1998, at age 47, Merle Africa died in prison.<ref>[http://articles.philly.com/1998-03-14/news/25744533_1_prison-job-move-press-conference-move-compound Move Death Merle Africa's Demise Labeled `Suspicious'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070959/http://articles.philly.com/1998-03-14/news/25744533_1_prison-job-move-press-conference-move-compound |date=March 4, 2016 }}, ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', March 14, 1998</ref> Seven of the surviving eight members first became eligible for [[parole]] in the spring of 2008, but they were denied. Parole hearings for each of these prisoners were to be held yearly from that time.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20080228_MOVE_members_due_for_parole_hearing.html |title=MOVE members due for parole hearing |author=Emilie Lounsberry |date=February 28, 2008 |website=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |access-date=March 5, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080411115748/http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20080228_MOVE_members_due_for_parole_hearing.html |archive-date = April 11, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=MOVE members denied parole |last=Lounsberry |first=Emilie |date=June 5, 2008 |newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |page=B06}}</ref> In 2015, at age 59, Phil Africa died in prison.<ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Sam |title=Phil Africa, of Black-Liberation Group Move, Long in Prison, Dies at 59 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 14, 2015 |page=A21}}</ref>  

The first of the MOVE 9 to be released was Debbie Sims Africa on June 16, 2018.<ref name="huge"/> Debbie Sims Africa, who was 22 when sentenced, was released on parole and reunited with her 39-year-old son, Michael Davis Africa, Jr. She gave birth to him a month after she was imprisoned, and he was taken from her a week later.<ref name="huge"/> The release of Debbie Sims Africa renewed attention on members of MOVE and the Black Panthers who remain imprisoned in the U.S. from the period of the 1960s and 1970s. ''The Guardian'' journalist Ed Pilkington reported in June 2018 that there were at least 25 still in prison.<ref name="huge">{{cite news |last1=Pilkington |first1=Ed |title='This is huge': black liberationist speaks out after her 40 years in prison |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/18/debbie-sims-africa-free-prison-move-nine-philadelphia-police |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=June 18, 2018 |access-date=June 18, 2018 |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617124048/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/18/debbie-sims-africa-free-prison-move-nine-philadelphia-police |url-status=live }}</ref>

On October 23, 2018, Michael Davis Africa, the husband of Debbie Sims Africa, was released on parole.<ref>{{cite news |last1=D'Onofrio |first1=Michael |title=Another MOVE 9 member tied to 1978 case leaves prison |url=http://www.phillytrib.com/news/another-move-member-tied-to-case-leaves-prison/article_527cb30d-ca63-5a87-8af7-77a1ece0a337.html |access-date=October 26, 2018 |work=[[The Philadelphia Tribune]] |date=October 23, 2018 |archive-date=October 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023202001/http://www.phillytrib.com/news/another-move-member-tied-to-case-leaves-prison/article_527cb30d-ca63-5a87-8af7-77a1ece0a337.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2019, Janine and Janet Africa were released on parole after 41 years of imprisonment.<ref name=after40>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/25/move-9-black-radicals-women-freed-philadelphia|title=Move 9 women freed after 40 years in jail over Philadelphia police siege|last=Pilkington|first=Ed|date=May 25, 2019|work=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=Guardian News & Media|access-date=May 26, 2019|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=June 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617124049/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/25/move-9-black-radicals-women-freed-philadelphia|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 21, 2019, Eddie Goodman Africa was released on parole.<ref name=eddie-africa-released>{{cite news |last=Pilkington |first=Ed |title=Move 9 member Eddie Goodman Africa released from prison after 41 years |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/23/move-9-member-eddie-goodman-africa-released-prison-41-years |access-date=August 15, 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]] |publisher=Guardian News & Media |date=June 23, 2019 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617125917/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/23/move-9-member-eddie-goodman-africa-released-prison-41-years |url-status=live }}</ref> Delbert Orr Africa was granted parole on December 20, 2019, and released January 18, 2020.<ref name="Pilkington 2020">{{cite web | last=Pilkington | first=Ed | title=Move 9 member Delbert Orr Africa freed after 42 years in prison | website=the Guardian | date=January 18, 2020 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/18/move-9-delbert-orr-africa-released-prison | access-date=January 18, 2020 | archive-date=June 17, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617125925/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/18/move-9-delbert-orr-africa-released-prison | url-status=live }}</ref> The last of the MOVE 9 either to be paroled or to die behind bars was Chuck Sims Africa, who was released on parole on February 7, 2020, after 41 years of imprisonment.<ref name=eddie-africa-released/><ref>{{Cite news|last=Pilkington|first=Ed|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/07/chuck-sims-africa-move-9-freed-philadelphia|title=Chuck Sims Africa freed: final jailed Move 9 member released from prison|date=February 7, 2020|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=February 11, 2020|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=June 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617125821/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/07/chuck-sims-africa-move-9-freed-philadelphia|url-status=live}}</ref> Both Delbert and Chuck died of cancer in 2020 and 2021, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dean|first=Mensah M.|date=June 16, 2020|title=Delbert Africa, MOVE member released from prison in January after 41 years, has died|url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/delbert-africa-move-member-dead-20200616.html|access-date=June 16, 2020|language=en-US|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|archive-date=June 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617201451/https://www.inquirer.com/news/delbert-africa-move-member-dead-20200616.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Moran |first1=Robert |title=Charles Sims Africa dies; was last member of MOVE freed on parole in 1978 death of officer |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |date=2021-09-24 |url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-move-charles-sims-africa-dead-james-ramp-20210924.html |language=en |access-date=2021-10-07 |df=mdy-all |archive-date=October 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007040652/https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-move-charles-sims-africa-dead-james-ramp-20210924.html |url-status=live }}</ref>