Browse Items (17 total)

Investigators spent days searching the debris for bodies. In all, eleven people were found dead and sixty-one buildings were burned down. From this angle, viewers can get a better understanding of just how much was lost in a very brief period of…

The founder of MOVE was one of the victims of the bombing. Here, supporters show solidarity as John Africa's funeral procession passes by Osage Avenue. Their stance shows that what John Africa created was larger than himself. MOVE did not die with…

This is a collection of interviews done with various people associated with the MOVE bombing. Interviewees include Ramona Africa (a MOVE member and the only adult survivor of the May 1985 confrontation), Officer James Berghaier, Fire Commissioner…

Police Commissioner Sambor submitted his resignation in November of 1985 following the backlash against his actions in the MOVE bombing. At the time, he claimed that he was not being forced out of his position. However, just three months later in a…

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…

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…

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,…