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1985 MOVE bombing

1985 in PennsylvaniaAC with 0 elementsAirstrikes conducted by the United StatesArmed standoffs in the United StatesBuilding bombings in the United States
Explosions in 1985Fires in PennsylvaniaImprovised explosive device bombings in the United StatesLaw enforcement operations in the United StatesMass murder in 1985May 1985 events in the United StatesPhiladelphia Police DepartmentPolice brutality in the United StatesPolitical repression in the United StatesRiots and civil disorder in PhiladelphiaSource attribution

The 1985 MOVE bombing was the destruction by the Philadelphia Police Department of 61 residential homes in the West Philadelphia Osage Neighborhood during a standoff and firefight. One of the residential homes was occupied by the MOVE organization. Two explosive devices were dropped by a police helicopter on a bunker-like cubicle on the roof of the house, causing a fire which the Philadelphia Fire Department subsequently let burn out of control, destroying 61 previously evacuated neighbouring houses over two city blocks, and leaving 250 people homeless. Six adults and five children in the MOVE compound died in the incident, with one adult and one child surviving. A lawsuit in federal court found that the city used excessive force and violated constitutional rights against unreasonable search and seizure.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article 1985 MOVE bombing (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

1985 MOVE bombing
Osage Avenue, Philadelphia

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N 39.955679 ° E -75.246836 °
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Osage Avenue 6231
19143 Philadelphia
Pennsylvania, United States
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MOVE (Philadelphia organization)

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). The name, styled in all capital letters, is not an acronym. MOVE lived in a communal setting in West Philadelphia, abiding by philosophies of anarcho-primitivism. 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 one police officer 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. In 1985, another firefight ended when a police helicopter dropped two bombs onto the roof of the MOVE compound, a townhouse located at 6221 Osage Avenue. The resulting fire killed six MOVE members and five of their children, and destroyed 65 houses in the neighborhood.The police bombing was strongly condemned. The MOVE survivors later filed a civil suit against the City of Philadelphia and the PPD and were awarded $1.5 million in a 1996 settlement (roughly equivalent to $2.8 million in 2022). Other residents displaced by the destruction of the bombing filed a civil suit against the city and in 2005 were awarded $12.83 million (roughly equivalent to $19 million in 2022) in damages in a jury trial.