Editing MOVE (Philadelphia organization)

{{Short description|American Black separatist group}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox militant organization
| name             = MOVE
| colorcode        = 
| image            = MOVE_family.jpeg
| logo             = 
| caption          = A photo of members of the MOVE family in the 1980s
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
| image_alt        = A black and white photo of group of around a dozen people standing outside. Everyone in the photo is black and has the same style of dreadlocks. The ages of the group vary, from a baby being held in someone's arms to a man who could be in his twenties or thirties.
| other_name       = 
| country          = [[United States]]
| leader           = [[John Africa]]<br />Ramona Africa (as Spokesperson)
| foundation       = 1972
| dates            = 
| dissolved        = 
| merger           = 
| split            = 
| merged           = 
| successor        = 
| area             = [[Philadelphia]]
| ideology         = {{plainlist|
*[[Green anarchism]]
*[[Black Power|Black liberation]]
*[[Black nationalism]]<ref name= Move />
*[[Animal rights]]<ref name= Move />
*[[Anarcho-primitivism]]<ref name= Move>{{cite web |title=MOVE |url=http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/move/ |website=Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia |access-date=March 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320043942/http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/move/ |archive-date=March 20, 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Deep ecology]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Karam |first=Nikki |title=LibGuides: Philadelphia & MOVE: Home |url=https://libguides.ccp.edu/c.php?g=519877&p=3555420 |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=libguides.ccp.edu |language=en |archive-date=November 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118170811/https://libguides.ccp.edu/c.php?g=519877&p=3555420 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Direct democracy]]
*[[Environmentalism]]}}
| position         = [[Far-left politics|Far-left]]
| crimes           = 
| status           = Active
| size             = 
| revenue          = 
| financing        = 
| flag             = 
| website          = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}
{{Black Power sidebar}}
{{African American topics sidebar}}

'''MOVE''' (pronounced like the word "move"), originally the '''Christian Movement for Life''', is a communal organization that advocates for nature laws and natural living, founded in 1972 in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States, by [[John Africa]] (born Vincent Leaphart). MOVE lived in a [[Intentional community|communal]] setting in [[West Philadelphia]], abiding by philosophies of [[anarcho-primitivism]].<ref name="philadelphiaencyclopedia.org">{{Cite web|url=http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/move/|title=MOVE|website=Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia|language=en-US|access-date=March 19, 2018|archive-date=March 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320043942/http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/move/|url-status=live}}</ref> The group combined revolutionary ideology, similar to that of the [[Black Panthers]], with work for [[animal rights]].

MOVE is particularly known for two major conflicts with the [[Philadelphia Police Department]] (PPD). In 1978, a standoff resulted in the death of police officer James J. Ramp and injuries to 16 officers and firefighters, as well as members of the MOVE organization. Nine members were convicted of killing the officer and each received prison sentences of 30 to 100 years.<ref name="Jackson, 2021">{{cite news |last1=Jackson |first1=R |title=A Racial Tragedy in Philadelphia: Part 1 - The MOVE 9 Versus American Jurisprudence |url=http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/column/racial-tragedy-philadelphia-part-1-move-9-versus-american-jurisprudence/ |access-date=18 July 2021 |work=The Milwaukee Independent |date=30 May 2021 |quote=Nine members from Move, Eddie Africa, Janet Africa, Janine Africa, Mike Africa, Debbie Africa, Delbert Africa, Chuck Africa, Phil Africa and Merle Africa were charged with killing Officer Ramp. They refused to have a jury and would not cooperate with the court appointed attorney. The group of them became known as the MOVE 9. They were all found guilty of murder in the third degree and sentenced to 30 to 100 years in prison by Judge Edwin Malmed. |archive-date=July 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718182936/http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/column/racial-tragedy-philadelphia-part-1-move-9-versus-american-jurisprudence/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1985, another firefight ended when [[1985 MOVE bombing|a police helicopter dropped two bombs]] onto the roof of the MOVE compound, a [[row house|townhouse]] located at 6221 Osage Avenue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Let The Fire Burn |url=https://freelibrary.kanopy.com/product/let-fire-burn |access-date=June 8, 2020 |publisher=Kanopy |archive-date=June 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608092136/https://freelibrary.kanopy.com/product/let-fire-burn |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{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|department=Codeswitch|publisher=NPR|language=en|access-date=December 21, 2019|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> The resulting fire killed six MOVE members and five of their children, and destroyed 65 houses in the neighborhood.<ref name="Trippett"/>

The police bombing was strongly condemned. The MOVE survivors later filed a [[civil lawsuit|civil suit]] against the City of Philadelphia and the PPD and were awarded $1.5 million in a 1996 settlement.<ref name="cnn96"/> Other residents displaced by the destruction of the bombing filed a civil suit against the city and in 2005 were awarded $12.83 million in damages in a jury trial.

== 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>

== 1985 bombing ==
{{main|1985 MOVE bombing}}
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|lon_deg    = -75.246836
}}
In 1981, MOVE relocated to a row house at 6221 Osage Avenue in the [[Cobbs Creek, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Cobbs Creek]] area of West Philadelphia. Neighbors complained to the city for years about trash around their building, confrontations with neighbors, and bullhorn announcements of sometimes obscene political messages by MOVE members.<ref name=Trippett1/><ref name="Still Black, Still Strong">{{cite book|last1=Abu-Jamal|first1=Mumia|last2=Bin Wahad|first2=Dhoruba|last3=Shakur|first3=Assata|title=Still Black, Still Strong|date=1993|publisher=Semiotext(e)|location=South Pasadena, CA|isbn=9780936756745|page=128}}</ref> The bullhorn was broken and inoperable for the three weeks prior to the police bombing of the row house.<ref name="Still Black, Still Strong"/>

The police obtained arrest warrants in 1985 charging four MOVE occupants with crimes including parole violations, [[contempt of court]], illegal possession of firearms, and making terrorist threats.<ref name="Trippett" >{{cite magazine |last=Trippett |first=Frank |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,141842,00.html |title=It Looks Just Like a War Zone |magazine=TIME |date=May 27, 1985 |access-date=May 14, 2013 |archive-date=November 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110215354/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,141842,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Mayor [[Wilson Goode]] and police commissioner [[Gregore J. Sambor]] classified MOVE as a terrorist organization.<ref name=Shapiro2010>{{cite book|last1=Shapiro|first1=Michael J|title=The Time of the City: Politics, Philosophy and Genre|date=June 17, 2010|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781136977879|page=108}}</ref> Police evacuated residents of the area from the neighborhood prior to their action. Residents were told that they would be able to return to their homes after a 24-hour period.<ref name=":1"/>

On Monday, May 13, 1985, nearly five hundred police officers, along with city manager [[Leo A. Brooks, Sr.|Leo Brooks]], arrived in force and attempted to clear the building and execute the arrest warrants.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=Shapiro2010/> Nearby houses were evacuated.<ref name=":3" /> Water and electricity were shut off in order to force MOVE members out of the house. Commissioner Sambor read a long speech addressed to MOVE members that started with, "Attention MOVE: This is America. You have to abide by the laws of the United States." When the MOVE members did not respond, the police decided to forcibly remove the 13 members from the house,<ref name=":1" /> which consisted of seven adults and six children.

There was an armed standoff with police,<ref name="USAaccount"/> who lobbed [[tear gas]] canisters at the building. The MOVE members fired at them in return, and a 90-minute gunfight ensued, in which one officer was bruised in the back by gunfire.<ref name="Stevens 1985">{{cite news|last=Stevens|first=William K.|title=Police Drop Bomb on Radicals' Home in Philadelphia|url=http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/MOVE-Phihladelphia-BombNYT14may85.htm|access-date=August 31, 2012|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 14, 1985|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120612050152/http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/MOVE-Phihladelphia-BombNYT14may85.htm|archive-date=June 12, 2012}}</ref> Police used more than ten thousand rounds of ammunition before Commissioner Sambor ordered that the compound be bombed.<ref name="Stevens 1985"/> From a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter, Philadelphia Police Department Lt. Frank Powell proceeded to drop two one-pound bombs (which the police referred to as "entry devices"<ref name=Shapiro2010/>) made of FBI-supplied [[Tovex]], a dynamite substitute, targeting a cubicle on the roof of the house.<ref name=Trippett1/> The ensuing fire killed eleven of the people in the house (John Africa, five other adults, and five children aged 7 to 13). The fire spread and eventually destroyed approximately 65 nearby houses on Osage Avenue and nearby Pine Street. Although firefighters had earlier drenched the building prior to the bombing, after the fire broke out, officials said they feared that MOVE would shoot at the firefighters, so held them back.<ref name=Trippett1>{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,141842,00.html|title=It Looks Just Like a War Zone|author=Frank Trippett|date=May 27, 1985|magazine=[[TIME magazine]]|quote=The Move property on Osage Avenue had become notorious for its abundant litter of garbage and human waste and for its scurrying rats and dozens of dogs. Bullhorns blared forth obscene tirades and harangues at all times of day and night. MOVE members customarily kept their children out of both clothes and school. They physically assaulted some neighbors and threatened others.|access-date=February 15, 2009|archive-date=November 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110215354/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,141842,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Stevens 1985"/><ref name="Brian Jenkins">{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/US/9604/02/move_court/ |title=MOVE siege returns to haunt city |author=Brian Jenkins |date=April 2, 1996 |publisher=[[CNN.com]] |access-date=August 1, 2008 |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228212635/http://edition.cnn.com/US/9604/02/move_court/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ramona Africa, one of the two MOVE survivors from the house, said that police fired at those trying to escape.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4651126 |title=Philadelphia MOVE Bombing Still Haunts Survivors |newspaper=NPR.org |publisher=NPR |access-date=May 14, 2013 |archive-date=October 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211002084835/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4651126 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Aftermath ===
Goode appointed an investigative commission called the Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission (PSIC, aka MOVE Commission), chaired by attorney [[William H. Brown, III]]. Sambor resigned in November 1985; in a speech the following year, he said that he was made a "surrogate" by Goode.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1986-02-27-2510505-story.html|title=I WAS EXPENDABLE, SAMBOR LEARNED AFTER MOVE FIASCO|first=SCOTT J. HIGHAM, The Morning|last=Call|website=mcall.com|date=February 27, 1986|access-date=October 9, 2020|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327123118/https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1986-02-27-2510505-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The MOVE Commission 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."<ref name="titlePhiladelphia Special Investigation (MOVE) Commission Manuscript Collection">{{cite web |url=http://library.temple.edu/collections/urbana/psic-01.jsp |title=Philadelphia Special Investigation (MOVE) Commission Manuscript Collection |access-date=April 12, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111183326/http://library.temple.edu/collections/urbana/psic-01.jsp |archive-date=January 11, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Following the release of the report, Goode made a formal public apology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1986-03-10-2508939-story.html|title=GOODE OFFERS HIS APOLOGY FOR MOVE|first=WILLIAM K. STEVENS, The New York|last=Times|website=mcall.com|date=March 10, 1986|access-date=October 9, 2020|archive-date=September 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919104030/https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1986-03-10-2508939-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> No one from the city government was criminally charged in the attack. The only surviving adult MOVE member, Ramona Africa, was charged and convicted on charges of [[riot]] and [[conspiracy]]; she served seven years in prison.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Odom|first1=Maida|title=Ramona Africa Given Jail Term For Siege Role|url=http://articles.philly.com/1986-04-15/news/26077019_1_ramona-africa-birdie-africa-riot-charge|website=philly.com|access-date=May 10, 2016|archive-date=June 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603031312/http://articles.philly.com/1986-04-15/news/26077019_1_ramona-africa-birdie-africa-riot-charge|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1996 a federal jury ordered the city to pay a $1.5 million [[civil suit]] judgment to survivor Ramona Africa and relatives of two people killed in the bombing. The jury had found that the city used excessive force and violated the members' constitutional [[Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution#Warrant|protections against unreasonable search and seizure]].<ref name="NYT_1996-06-25">{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DEFDE1239F936A15755C0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=Philadelphia Held Liable For Firebomb Fatal to 11 |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 25, 1996 |first=Don |last=Terry |access-date=May 13, 2010 |archive-date=May 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524050107/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/25/us/philadelphia-held-liable-for-firebomb-fatal-to-11.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1985 Philadelphia was given the [[sobriquet]] "The City that Bombed Itself".<ref>{{cite book|title=Compass American Guides Pennsylvania|author1=G. Shaffer |author2=C. Tiger |author3=D. L. Root |year=2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/11182/the-move-disaster-may-13-1985|website=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|title=The MOVE Disaster: May 13, 1985|author=Larry Eichel|date=May 8, 2005|access-date=June 8, 2010|archive-date=October 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014162129/https://www.religionnewsblog.com/11182/the-move-disaster-may-13-1985|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2005 federal judge [[Clarence Charles Newcomer]] presided over a civil trial brought by residents seeking damages for having been displaced by the widespread destruction following the 1985 police bombing of MOVE. A jury awarded them a $12.83 million verdict against the City of Philadelphia.<ref name="sun-sentinel2005">Douglas Martin (August 28, 2005). [https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2005-08-28-0508270080-story.html "CLARENCE NEWCOMER, 82, LONGTIME FEDERAL JUDGE,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701020527/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2005-08-28-0508270080-story.html |date=July 1, 2021 }} ''South Florida Sun Sentinel''.</ref>

On November 12, 2020, the City Council of Philadelphia passed a resolution apologizing "for the decisions and events preceding and leading to the devastation that occurred on May 13, 1985."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://phila.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4681920&GUID=B829ECBE-2918-4C0E-87B6-271DB263B6C7&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=MOVE|title=City of Philadelphia - File #: 200609|website=phila.legistar.com|access-date=November 16, 2020|archive-date=January 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113232722/https://phila.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4681920&GUID=B829ECBE-2918-4C0E-87B6-271DB263B6C7&Options=ID|url-status=live}}</ref> The council established "an annual day of observation, reflection and recommitment" to remember the MOVE Bombing.<ref name="auto"/>

== 2002 shooting of John Gilbride ==
After John Africa's death, his widow, Alberta, married John Gilbride, Jr. Together they had a child, Zackary Africa, before divorcing in 1999. By 2002, Gilbride had no longer supported MOVE and resettled in [[Maple Shade, New Jersey|Maple Shade]], [[New Jersey]]. Alberta Africa was living in [[Cherry Hill, New Jersey]], with their son, John Zachary Gilbride, as he was legally known.<ref name="AP"/>

On September 10, 2002, in the course of their bitter custody dispute, Gilbride testified in court that MOVE had threatened to kill him.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 23, 2003 |last=Kinney |first=Monica Yant |title=Talks of threats before slaying |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |via=Religion News blog |url=http://www.religionnewsblog.com/4817/talks-of-threats-before-slaying |access-date=June 3, 2014 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116000139/https://www.religionnewsblog.com/4817/talks-of-threats-before-slaying |url-status=live }}</ref> The court granted Gilbride partial custody of Zackary, allowing him unsupervised visits.

On September 27, shortly after midnight and prior to Gilbride's first visitation date with Zackary, an unknown assailant shot and killed him as he sat in a car parked outside his New Jersey apartment complex.<ref name="AP">{{cite news |url=https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Man-in-Custody-Battle-Shot-to-Death-10572580.php |first=Geoff |last=Mulvihill |agency=Associated Press |title=Man in Custody Battle Shot to Death |work=Edwardsville Intelligencer |date=September 26, 2002 |access-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815200827/https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/Man-in-Custody-Battle-Shot-to-Death-10572580.php |url-status=live }}</ref> Investigators did not name a suspect and the Burlington County Police did not release ballistics information.<ref name="yanney2">{{cite news |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/monica_yant_kinney/20120919_Monica_Yant_Kinney__Murder_of_ex-MOVE_member_remains_a_mystery.html |first=Monica Yant |last=Kinney |title=Murder of ex-MOVE member remains a mystery |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |date=September 19, 2012 |access-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-date=August 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815201108/http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/monica_yant_kinney/20120919_Monica_Yant_Kinney__Murder_of_ex-MOVE_member_remains_a_mystery.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The case remains unsolved. A MOVE spokeswoman initially said that the U.S. government had assassinated Gilbride in order to frame MOVE.<ref name="yanney2"/> His ex-wife Alberta Africa denied that the murder had occurred. She said in 2009 that Gilbride "is out hiding somewhere".<ref name="yanney2"/> Tony Allen, an ex-MOVE member, says that MOVE murdered Gilbride.<ref name="yanney2"/>

In 2012, ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' reported that Gilbride had told friends and family that he had recorded incriminating evidence in a notebook as security against a "hit" by MOVE. Gilbride said he had placed the notebook inside a locker for safekeeping. The [[Burlington County]] Prosecutor's Office declined to follow up on the report.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-blinq/A-clue-hidden-in-a-lost-locker.html |title=A clue hidden in a lost locker? |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |first=Monica Yant |last=Kinney |date=September 19, 2012 |access-date=June 3, 2014 |archive-date=June 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606223745/http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-blinq/A-clue-hidden-in-a-lost-locker.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Child abuse and cult allegations ==
In 2021, former members of MOVE came forward with allegations of abuse within the organization. As Jason Nark writes in ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]],'' “More than a half-dozen ex-MOVE members have gone on the record in both the ''Murder at Ryan’s Run'' podcast and the blog (started by an ex-MOVE supporter) titled ''Leaving MOVE 2021'', alleging physical and mental abuse in MOVE, a doctrine of [[homophobia]] and [[colorism]], and what they describe as a manipulation of the public and the media under the banner of social justice."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nark |first=Jason |date=August 27, 2021 |title=Ex-MOVE members say they were raised in a 'cult' where abuse and homophobia ran rampant |url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/move-bombing-philadelphia-africa-podcast-blog-abuse-20210827.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20221017180214/https://www.inquirer.com/news/move-bombing-philadelphia-africa-podcast-blog-abuse-20210827.html |archive-date=October 17, 2022 |newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]}}</ref>

== Current activities ==
Ramona Africa acts as a spokesperson for the group.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Fiorillo |first1=Victor |title=The MOVE Bombing: An Oral History |work=Philadelphia Magazine |date=2010-03-26 |url=https://www.phillymag.com/news/2010/03/26/move-the-oral-history/ |language=en-US |access-date=2021-10-11 |df=mdy-all |archive-date=September 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928155819/https://www.phillymag.com/news/2010/03/26/move-the-oral-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref><!-- more to paraphrase in source --> [[Mumia Abu-Jamal]], a member of MOVE,<ref name="pi1">{{cite news | last1=Johnson | first1=Terry E | last2=Hobbs | first2=Michael A | title=The Suspect – One Who Raised His Voice | newspaper=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] | date=December 10, 1981 | url=http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/botswana/509/inqarticles/12-10a.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070702232822/http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/botswana/509/inqarticles/12-10a.htm |archive-date = July 2, 2007}}</ref> was convicted and sentenced to death for the unrelated 1981 murder of police officer [[Daniel Faulkner]]. The death sentence was overturned in 2011 by a federal judge and Abu-Jamal was resentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. MOVE continues to advocate for Abu-Jamal's release.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Dean |first1=Mensah M. |title=Supporters of Mumia Abu-Jamal demand his freedom on the 39th anniversary of his arrest in the death of a Philadelphia police officer |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |date=2020-12-09 |url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/mumia-abu-jamal-black-panther-cop-killer-daniel-faulkner-death-row-move-murder-philadelphia-police-anniversary-20201209.html |language=en |access-date=2021-10-11 |df=mdy-all |archive-date=September 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927082522/https://www.inquirer.com/news/mumia-abu-jamal-black-panther-cop-killer-daniel-faulkner-death-row-move-murder-philadelphia-police-anniversary-20201209.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{anchor|Michael Moses Ward}} Michael Moses Ward, known in MOVE as Birdie Africa, was the only child to survive the 1985 bombing. Ward was 13 years old at the time of the incident and suffered serious burns from the fire, which killed his mother.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/michael-moses-ward-aka-birdie-africa-a-survivor-of-85-philadelphia-bombing-dies/2013/09/27/f56ea4a6-27a3-11e3-ad0d-b7c8d2a594b9_story.html|title='Birdie Africa,' survivor of '85 MOVE bombing, dies|first=Vernon|last=Clark|date=September 27, 2013|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=November 16, 2020|archive-date=January 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116034331/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/michael-moses-ward-aka-birdie-africa-a-survivor-of-85-philadelphia-bombing-dies/2013/09/27/f56ea4a6-27a3-11e3-ad0d-b7c8d2a594b9_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Ward's father, Andino Ward, sued the City of Philadelphia, and the parties reached a settlement.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/26/us/philadelphia-settles-suit-by-survivor-of-police-siege.html|title=Philadelphia Settles Suit by Survivor of Police Siege (Published 1991)|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 26, 1991}}</ref> He lived with his father afterward and did not remain involved with MOVE. He died in 2013 in an accidental drowning.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Lattanzio |first1=Vince |title='Birdie Africa,' MOVE's Lone Child Survivor, Dies in Cruise Ship Hot Tub |work=NBC10 Philadelphia |date=2014-06-12 |url=https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/moves-birdie-africa-dies-in-cruise-ship-hot-tub/1970819/ |language=en-US |access-date=2021-10-11 |df=mdy-all |archive-date=October 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211029172131/https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/moves-birdie-africa-dies-in-cruise-ship-hot-tub/1970819/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In June 2020 MOVE member Delbert Africa died.<ref>{{cite web|title=Delbert Africa, longtime MOVE member recently released from prison, has died|url=https://whyy.org/articles/delbert-africa-longtime-move-member-recently-released-from-prison-has-died/|publisher=[[WHYY-FM|WHYY]]|first=Aaron|last=Moselle|date=June 16, 2020|access-date=June 16, 2020|archive-date=June 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617030415/https://whyy.org/articles/delbert-africa-longtime-move-member-recently-released-from-prison-has-died/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 2021, the [[Penn Museum]] and the [[University of Pennsylvania]] apologized to the Africa family for allowing human remains from the MOVE house to be used in research and training. In 1985, the Philadelphia City Medical Examiner's Office gave burned human remains found at the MOVE house to the [[University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=DiSanto |first1=Jill |title=Statement from the Penn Museum on the MOVE house remains |url=https://penntoday.upenn.edu/announcements/statement-penn-museum-move-house-remains |website=www.penntoday.upenn.edu |date=April 26, 2021 |access-date=April 27, 2021 |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426223717/https://penntoday.upenn.edu/announcements/statement-penn-museum-move-house-remains |url-status=live }}</ref> for verification that the bones were those of 14-year-old Tree Africa and 12-year-old Delisha Africa. The remains were kept in a cardboard box in storage for decades and studied by Alan Mann, a professor at Penn and [[Janet Monge]], the curator of the Penn Museum. The bones were used as part of an online forensic course as a case study.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 23, 2021|title=Bones of Black children killed in police bombing used in Ivy League anthropology course|url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/22/move-bombing-black-children-bones-philadelphia-princeton-pennsylvania|access-date=April 23, 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423060358/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/22/move-bombing-black-children-bones-philadelphia-princeton-pennsylvania|url-status=live}}</ref> When Mann transferred to [[Princeton University]] in 2001, he reportedly took the remains with him.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kassutto |first1=Maya |title=MOVE bombing: Children's remains killed in MOVE bombing sat in a box at Penn Museum for decades |url=https://billypenn.com/2021/04/21/move-bombing-penn-museum-bones-remains-princeton-africa/ |website=www.billypenn.com |date=April 21, 2021 |access-date=April 27, 2021 |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516183535/https://billypenn.com/2021/04/21/move-bombing-penn-museum-bones-remains-princeton-africa/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Philadelphia Health Commissioner [[Thomas Farley (physician)|Thomas Farley]] resigned in May 2021 upon revelations that he ordered the cremation of a set of victims' remains without notifying or obtaining permission from the families of the deceased<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/philadelphia-top-doc-thomas-farley-resigns-over-disposing-of-1985-move-bombing-victims-remains/ar-BB1gI5k9 |title=Philadelphia Top Doc Thomas Farley Resigns Over Disposing of 1985 MOVE Bombing Victims' Remains |last=Pedroja |first=Cammy |date=May 13, 2021 |website=msn.com |publisher=Newsweek |access-date=May 13, 2021 |quote= |archive-date=May 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513234537/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/philadelphia-top-doc-thomas-farley-resigns-over-disposing-of-1985-move-bombing-victims-remains/ar-BB1gI5k9 |url-status=live }}</ref> or even releasing the names of the deceased.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Goodin-Smith|first=Oona|title=On the anniversary of MOVE bombing, fresh pain and calls for accountability on Osage Avenue|url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/move-bombing-philadelphia-anniversary-march-20210513.html|access-date=May 14, 2021|website=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=May 13, 2021|language=en|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514193631/http://onamove.com/on-the-anniversary-of-move-bombing-fresh-pain-and-calls-for-accountability-on-osage-avenue/|url-status=live}}</ref> The day after his resignation, the remains were recovered in a box labeled MOVE.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Darryl C. |title=Philly Medical Examiner's Office found remains of MOVE bombing victims in cardboard box before cremation |work=[[WHYY-FM]] |date=2021-05-14 |url=https://whyy.org/articles/philly-medical-examiners-office-found-remains-of-move-bombing-victims-in-cardboard-box-before-farley-cremated-them/ |language=en-US |access-date=2021-10-11 |df=mdy-all |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020001958/https://whyy.org/articles/philly-medical-examiners-office-found-remains-of-move-bombing-victims-in-cardboard-box-before-farley-cremated-them/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Legacy ==

On the 25th anniversary of the 1985 bombing, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' published a detailed multimedia website containing retrospective articles, archived articles, videos, interviews, photos, and a timeline of the events.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.philly.com/philly/hot_topics/93010634.html | work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] | title=MOVE 25 years later | access-date=May 9, 2010 | archive-date=April 19, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419013426/http://www.philly.com/philly/hot_topics/93010634.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]] |title=A haunting look at when Phila. burned |first=Carrie |last=Rickey |date=October 20, 2013 |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20131020_A_haunting_look_at_when_Phila__burned.html |access-date=May 14, 2020 |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610153231/https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20131020_A_haunting_look_at_when_Phila__burned.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[John Edgar Wideman]]'s 1990 novel ''Philadelphia Fire'' is based on the MOVE bombing.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Rev. of Philadelphia Fire |journal=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |date=1990-09-15 |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-edgar-wideman/philadelphia-fire/ |language=en-US |issn=1948-7428 |df=mdy-all |access-date=January 5, 2022 |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617130520/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-edgar-wideman/philadelphia-fire/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Mischief Brew]]’s 2006 song ''Save A City…'' is about the MOVE bombing.

=== Documentaries ===
''The Bombing of Osage Avenue'' (1986) by author [[Toni Cade Bambara]] and [[Louis Massiah]] provides context for the bombing by using the history of the Cobbs Creek community. It focuses on the bombing's effects on community residents who did not belong to MOVE. The film also uses footage of the hearings of the MOVE commission. It premiered on [[WHYY-TV]], Philadelphia's public broadcasting station.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/vcat/record.html?id=VCAT_1731372 |title=The Bombing of Osage Avenue |year=1986 |people=Massiah, Louis (Director) |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |publisher=Scribe Video Center |access-date=November 22, 2019 |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610012319/http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/vcat/record.html?id=VCAT_1731372 |url-status=live }}</ref>

''[[Let the Fire Burn]]'' (2013) by producer/director Jason Osder about MOVE composed largely of archival footage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/let-the-fire-burn/ |title=Let the Fire Burn{{!}}Philadelphia Police Clash with MOVE Group{{!}}Independent Lens{{!}}PBS |website=[[PBS]] |access-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617130604/https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/let-the-fire-burn/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Rapold|first=Nicolas|title=Dropping In On Tragedy, As If You Were There|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/movies/let-the-fire-burn-relives-1985-siege-of-the-move-group.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 1, 2013|access-date=November 15, 2016|archive-date=November 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116163443/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/02/movies/let-the-fire-burn-relives-1985-siege-of-the-move-group.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://jasonosder.com/film |title=Let the Fire Burn{{!}}Jason Osder |access-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211230823/http://jasonosder.com/film |url-status=live }}</ref>

''[[Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project]]'' (2019) by Matt Wolf also featured footage of the group on the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] news show ''[[Nightline]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2019/12/recorder-the-marion-stokes-project-director-matt-wolf-pbs-documentary-interview-1202798584/ |title='Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project' Helmer On Awards-Contending Doc — Deadline |date=December 2, 2019 |access-date=November 29, 2020 |archive-date=December 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203165621/https://deadline.com/2019/12/recorder-the-marion-stokes-project-director-matt-wolf-pbs-documentary-interview-1202798584/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/details/BAVC1006272_News51385 BAVC1006272_News51385: Internet Archive]</ref>

''40 Years a Prisoner'' (2020) by filmmaker [[Tommy Oliver (producer)|Tommy Oliver]] chronicles the controversial 1978 Philadelphia police raid on MOVE and the aftermath that led to a Mike Africa Jr.'s decades-long fight to free his parents.<ref>Oliver, Tommy (2020). 40 Years a Prisoner [https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/40-years-a-prisoner. HBO. Retrieved December 08, 2020.]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/40_years_a_prisoner |title=Rotten Tomatoes |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=April 27, 2021 |archive-date=March 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302202809/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/40_years_a_prisoner |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://reason.com/2021/03/19/40-years-a-prisoner/ |title=40 Years a Prisoner - Reason.com |date=March 19, 2021 |access-date=April 27, 2021 |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617130604/https://reason.com/2021/03/19/40-years-a-prisoner/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Philadelphia|1980s}}
*{{annotated link|David Shrager}} – trial lawyer who represented Michael Ward's father in a lawsuit against the city for injuries suffered in the fire
*{{annotated link|Neo-Luddite}}
*{{annotated link|Partisan Defense Committee}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Richard Kent Evans, ''MOVE: An American Religion''. Oxford University Press, 2020. {{ISBN|9780190058777}}.
* 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}}.
* Robin Wagner-Pacifici, ''Discourse and Destruction: The City of Philadelphia versus MOVE'', (1994) University of Chicago Press
* Johanna Saleh Dickson; ''<span class="plainlinks">[https://books.google.com/books?id=qyZW1xv3DwgC&dq=john.africa+vincent.leaphart&pg=PA14 Move: Sites of Trauma (Pamphlet Architecture 23)]</span>'' (2002) Princeton: Architectural Press
* [[Toni Cade Bambara]], ''The Bombing of Osage Avenue'', Philadelphia: WHYY. DVD {{OCLC|95315483}}
* Margot Harry, ''Attention Move! This is America'' (1987), Chicago: Banner Press, {{ISBN|0-916650-32-4}}
* {{cite journal|last=Maurantonio|first=Nicole|title=Archiving the Visual: The Promises and Pitfalls of Digital Newspapers|journal=Media History|year=2014|volume=20|issue=1|pages=88–102|doi=10.1080/13688804.2013.870749|s2cid=143002576}}
* {{cite news |last=Pilkington |first=Ed |title=Disenchanted Move members have quit the Black liberation group |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=September 25, 2021 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/25/mike-debbie-davis-disenchanted-move-members-quit }}
* Michael Boyette & Randi Boyette, ''Let it Burn!'' (1989) Chicago: Contemporary Press, {{ISBN|0-8092-4543-4}}
* Ramona Africa (Contr. Author). ''This Country Must Change: Essays on the Necessity of Revolution in the USA'' (Arissa Media Group, 2009) {{ISBN|978-0-9742884-7-5}}
* {{Cite web |last1=Washington |first1=Linn |title=Disrespect for the MOVE families is a stain that never goes away in Philadelphia |work=[[Andscape]] |date=2021-05-26 |url=https://andscape.com/features/the-continued-disrespect-for-the-move-families-is-a-stain-that-will-never-go-away-in-philadelphia/ |language=en-US |access-date=2021-10-11 |df=mdy-all }}
*{{cite podcast |last=McNamara |first=Beth |title=Murder at Ryan's Run |publisher=McNamara, Beth |date=20 March 2023 |time=11:46 |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-at-ryans-run/id1561552064 |access-date=20 March 2023}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.onamove.com/ Official MOVE website]
* [http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/index-bb.html "John Africa's MOVE Organization"], collection of pro-MOVE documents
* [http://www.move-thestory.com "9 Nine The Story of MOVE"], ''9 Neuf Histoire de communaute MOVE'' {{in lang|fr}}, French website about MOVE
* [https://library.temple.edu/scrc/philadelphia-special-1 Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission (MOVE) Records]

{{Philadelphia Police Department|state=autocollapse}}
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