cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/29574315
MOVE Bombing (1985)
Mon May 13, 1985
Image: The police bombing of the MOVE collective in West Philadelphia killed eleven people and left city blocks in ashes. Photograph from Bettmann / Getty [newyorker.com]
On this day in 1985, Philadelphia police bombed a home occupied by the black liberation group MOVE and let the fire burn out of control - “let the fire burn” - killing five children and six adults, and destroying 65 homes. No charges were filed.
The standoff with MOVE, a black liberation organization, was initiated by the police in an attempt to serve an eviction notice. Eleven people, including five children, died in the fire.
Eyewitnesses claimed that the victims were prevented from fleeing the fire by police gunfire upon escape. Police Commissioner Sambor infamously ordered the fire department to “let the fire burn”, destroying 65 nearby homes comprising two city blocks.
Although an investigation found that the law enforcement and fire department actions were negligent, no criminal charges were filed.
In October 2013, a documentary about the stand-off and bombing titled “Let the Fire Burn” was released by Zeitgeist Films.
- Date: 1985-05-13
- Learn More: www.theguardian.com, en.wikipedia.org, picturingblackhistory.org, www.zinnedproject.org.
- Tags: #Terrorism.
- Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org
Took them 35 years to apologize: (And people say the George Floyd Protests didn’t do anything)
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/17/935886827/philadelphia-apologizes-for-move-bombing-from-35-years-ago
They also tried to cremate remains without permission from the families, then realized they’d screwed up even that.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/philadelphia-says-move-bombing-victims-remains-found-n1267507
The city stated the remains had gone unclaimed by the families after the bombing, but in May 2021, the city of Philadelphia’s Health Commissioner, Thomas Farley, resigned under pressure after it was revealed that in 2017 he ordered the cremation and disposal of victims’ remains without either identifying them or contacting members of the family. A day after Farley’s resignation, staff at the Medical Examiner’s Office found the box labeled “MOVE” in a refrigerated area of their office containing the un-cremated remains.
The remains in question were those of two children, 12 and 14 years old.
That’a pretty fucked up
Only in USA 🤦