25th anniversary - Bombing of MOVE Wed May 12

IT’S TIME TO STOP POLICE TERRORISM!!!!!

This year marks 25 Years since the bombing of our Family!

At 9:00am MOVE is delivering MURDER charges to
The Courts on May 12th, Charging officials with
the Vicious Murder of 11 Innocent MOVE family members!

There will be a 10:00 am press conference at The
AFSC, located at 15th & Cherry Sts., about the Murder Complaints.

Immediately following the press conference,
everyone will participate in a Honk Against
Police Terror @ City Hall from 3pm to 5pm.

Following that is a Rally Demonstration March from City Hall to the
African-American Museum for a 6:00 pm program , located at:
7th & Arch Sts., which includes the screening of
2 Films On MOVE. Joining the program will be
Journalist Linn Washington and Freedom Fighter Fred Hampton Jr.

On Sunday, May 16th, at 2:00pm there will be a
Children’s Play performed by the MOVE children at
The Rotunda, located at 40th & Walnut Sts.,
directly behind the Bridge Movie Theatre.

For more INFO please contact:

MOVE
P.O. BOX 19709
PHILA., PA. 19143
mailto:onamovellja@aol.comonamovellja@aol.com
215 387-4107
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A "BROAD AND BLACK" BLOG
At "A Thinker's Greenspace"

Terry Lynn Howcott

UNDERSTANDING THE 1985 PHILADELPHIA,
MOTHER'S DAY BOMBING OF MOVE

I listened to Ramona Africa as she filled my
phone ear with her keen assessments, and began to
comprehend some of the dimensions of John Africa
and the MOVE perspective as they actually were.

Ramona Africa and 13 year old Birdie Africa were
the sole survivors of the 1985 Mother's Day
bombing perpetrated against the MOVE organization
by the Philadelphia police, sanctioned by then Mayor Wilson Goode .

As I gathered information on how MOVE members
lived and believed, I thought of the Green Party,
and the environmentalist movement of the 90's and
the 2000's. The MOVE Organization is among the
early pioneers of what is commonly known as the movement to "save the planet."

They were perhaps among the first organizations
in this country to take Earth Day seriously,
publicly integrating its principles into their daily affairs.

In our talk, Ramona Africa explained John
Africa's philosophy - that life was the priority,
and that all who "maim or exploit it" were the proverbial enemy.

I nodded with complete understanding as she
talked of being at the park with the children of
MOVE - all but one killed in the bombing - and
her dismissing their logic about taking home
"green things" they had found on the ground.

John Africa, she explained, had taught the
children how to observe life - how to keep their
eyes on their living environment. As such, they
had noticed the squirrels breaking open these
items, therefore insisting that they were "food."

Later that day, they learned that they had been
playing with nutritious, fresh black walnuts.

While Sister Africa explained how John Africa
insisted that both adults and children could
"request family meetings" for purposes of
settling frustrations or concerns, I remembered
the literature that recommends that the healthier
children are those who have a sense of independence and freedom of expression

In fact, she recalled how they were "obligated to
be honest" with the children, and exude the
language of "equality" - rather than taking "bullying adult stances."

She described how the children had a sense of
that, and therefore believed in their intrinsic
equality and value both inside the MOVE Organization and beyond.

I considered the church - and some of its
preachers who are allowed to roam, live freely,
prosper - and "lay hands" - as Ramona African
spoke of a "significant and impressive" John
Africa who had "the wisdom of God."

I was reminded of Black elitism, as Sister Africa
talked of a minority of neighbors who were
embarrassed about MOVE's rejection of traditional living and lifestyles.

Sister Africa explains that a week prior to the
bombing, police ransacked and assaulted members
at another MOVE owned household in Chester,
Pennsylvania. She described how they used tear
gas on Mo Africa's wife and children. claiming
that they were looking for a man that they had already arrested.

I listened as she talked of the claim that the
bombing was a result of neighbor complaints - and
about all of the years of legitimate community
complaints that had gone unanswered. I turned to
other areas of this website/blog - to countless
irrational explanations regarding "official"
decisions to cause harm and destruction to various living things and people.

We spoke the truth - that no neighbor complaint
could justify wanton murder and destruction.

I recalled public officials who fold like lawn
chairs under the pressure of public dissent, as
Ramona Africa described John Africa as one who
"was never threatened by strong MOVE members."

I recoiled at the thought of contemporary Black
representation as Africa states her pride in John
Africa's humility - for his never allowing MOVE
members to "exalt him" as a leader.

"He was our Brother," she says, and "a wise and
perceptive, righteous Black man."

I cringed at Philadelphia's tax dollars -
splurged in an effort to prosecute John Africa.
And I, too, was impressed hearing the news that
through much of his 1978 trial, he represented
himself, was unattentive during much of the
trail, waited for the prosecution to rest,
contested the prosecution's case without calling
one single witness - and yet was found not guilty on every count.

Finally, I tried to picture Ramona Africa's
unimaginable pain - her incomplete mourning
process - as she delightfully references MOVE
members and their children in the present tense.
I listen, as she tirelessly dedicates her life to
fighting for her beloved imprisoned MOVE 9 - her
family - until they are freed and exonerated of all charges against them.

And so it went, and so it goes. I am on her side,
which would leave me on the side of the planet.

Join me in demanding that the state of
Pennsylvania frees The Move 9, that they might be
released and teach us how to live.

The Move 9 was arrested in 1978, 7 years before the Philadelphia Move bombing.

The MOVE Organization never stopped working to
have the MOVE 9 released from prison.

These events were the precursor to growing
"official" resentment against the them for their
rejection of various assaults to their living
space based upon purported reasons which could
have been resolved in a wide variety of ways.