MOVE

organization, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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July 19, 2026

Quick Summary

MOVE was a Black liberation organization founded in Philadelphia in 1972 by John Africa. The group advocated for environmental and animal rights, opposing technology, corporations, and government. Tensions with law enforcement escalated over years of activism, including protests and confrontations.

In 1978, a police raid on a MOVE compound resulted in a shootout, a police officer's death, and convictions for nine MOVE members. The most devastating event occurred on May 13, 1985, when Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on the MOVE compound, leading to a fire that killed 11 people, including children, and left over 250 homeless. A subsequent investigation condemned the bombing as "unconscionable," and the Philadelphia City Council later issued an apology for the incident.12

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MOVE Bombing
The bombing of the MOVE compound on May 13, 1985, by Philadelphia police left 11 people dead and more than 250 homeless in an action that has had long-lasting repercussions for the city and its residents. It was the climactic and devastating resolution to years of escalating tension between…
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The bombing of the MOVE compound on May 13, 1985, by Philadelphia police left 11 people dead and more than 250 homeless in an action that has had long-lasting repercussions for the city and its residents. It was the climactic and devastating resolution to years of escalating tension between…
Read More

Mumia Abu-Jamal
Activism and journalism
…the police department’s handling of MOVE, a radical black-liberation group based in Philadelphia. In the early 1980s Abu-Jamal was the president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Association of Black Journalists, and his news broadcasts and commentaries were heard on numerous radio stations. Because of his activism and radical viewpoint,…
Read More
…the police department’s handling of MOVE, a radical black-liberation group based in Philadelphia. In the early 1980s Abu-Jamal was the president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Association of Black Journalists, and his news broadcasts and commentaries were heard on numerous radio stations. Because of his activism and radical viewpoint,…
Read More