Browse Items (13 total)

Philadelphia Police and Firefighters take cover during a shootout with MOVE on August 8, 1978. Police arrived that morning to serve arrest warrants for several members of MOVE. What ensued was a violent shootout, the first armed confrontation between…

MOVE members stand in front of their headquarters in the Powelton Village section of West Philadelphia brandishing weapons and speaking their message over a megaphone. Part of MOVE's methodology was to be loud and unhygenic to the point where…

Members of MOVE pose in front of their Powelton Village headquarters. This photo was taken in the same year as the clash with police that left Officer James Ramp dead. The outstretched fist is a common symbol of the Black Power movement, used most…

MOVE moved into a row house at 6221 Osage Avenue in 1982. They quickly began turning the home into a fortress. Some exterior changes are visible in this photograph, such as the boarded up windows, megaphones attached to the walls, and the bunker on…

John Africa, seen here in the car with sunglasses, is released after being acquitted on weapons possession and conspiracy charges in 1981. Africa (formerly Vincent Leaphart) founded MOVE in 1972. He insisted that all members of MOVE change their…

Then-Police Commissioner Frank Rizzo addresses the media at a press conference. As Commissioner, Rizzo was devoted to putting criminals behind bars using whatever means necessary. These harsh tactics and his larger-than-life personality made him…

This image of Delbert Africa's arrest gained national noteriety. Delbert Africa was a member of MOVE and was arrested as one of the "MOVE 9" in the shootout that killed Officer Ramp. Here, he strikes a pose reminiscent of Jesus on the cross as…

While not a member of MOVE, Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook) was a Philadelphia native and member of the Black Panther Party. He was a critic of Philadelphia Police and their treatment of MOVE members, particularly following the arrests of the MOVE…

The documentary Amateur Night at City Hall detailed Frank Rizzo's rise from deputy police commissioner to mayor of Philadelphia. This film accurately portrays the atmosphere that Rizzo created in the city. Most lower-class white Philadelphians…

Despite reaching an agreement with the city about vacating the property they were using as headquarters, MOVE backed out of their end of the deal. Police arrived at MOVE's headquarters early in the morning of August 8, 1978 with the intent of…