Browse Items (11 total)

  • Collection: The Bombing: May 13, 1985

6_BODIES_IN_ASHES_OF_RADICALS'.pdf
The New York Times published a long story about the bombing. This article not only discusses the bombing but also the immediate justifications for assaulting the compound and dropping the bomb. Despite an evident lack of planning, city officials did…

POLICE_DROP_BOMB_NYT.pdf
The bombing made the front page of the New York Times the next day. In this article, author William K. Stevens gives a general overview of the history of the group as well as an account of the bombing. Steve Harmon, an Osage Avenue resident, said of…

MOVEchannel10.jpg
Local news stations showed the siege and the bombing in real time. This image was taken from a WCAU Channel 10 broadcast. After the bomb was dropped, cameras caught the fire spreading from the MOVE compound to surrounding properties. This event stuck…

MOVE fire.jpg
The fire soon spread to surrounding rowhouses, which quickly spread to cover the entire block. Firefighters were not sent to fight the flames. There are conflicting reports about whether or not Commissioner Sambor or Mayor Goode said to "let the fire…

MOVEcompound.jpg
As the standoff continued, the fire department tried using water from fire hoses to knock down the walls of the compound or the rooftop bunker. Water poured into the building, but failed to create an opening for police. After this failed, police…

MOVEassault.jpg
After talks to resolve the issue peacefully failed, police were given the order to advance on the compound. Commissioner Gregore Sambor addressed MOVE via megaphone: "Attention, MOVE! This is America." After one final attempt to convince the MOVE…

MOVEburn.jpg
As the fire spread to the entire block, police and fire crews watched it burn. Here, a police officer watches the fire from a nearby rooftop. While a later investigation would reveal that Police Commissioner Gregore Sambor and Fire Commissioner…

MOVE helicopter.jpg
Police dropped the bomb from a state police helicopter as it flew over the compound. The target was a fortified bunker on the roof, which police planned to enter through once it collapsed. Lt. Frank Powell was ordered to drop the bomb. At about 5:30…

MOVEneighbors.jpg
Despite being evacuated from their homes, many residents watched as the fire spread to their properties. Due to the row homes being physically connected, it was very easy for the fire to spread from one home to the next. It took until about 11:00pm,…

In 2010, the local newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer put together a series of interviews about the MOVE bombing. Here, police officers, city officials, and a member of MOVE all recall the events of May 13, 1985. Some footage from the confrontation…
Output Formats

atom, dcmes-xml, json, omeka-xml, rss2