Browse Items (17 total)

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…

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…

This New York Times article made public the findings of the Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission, a committee that had been created specifically to investigate the MOVE bombing. While concluding that the bombing was "excessive" and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

This New York Times article demonstrates how unprepared the city was to deal with the ramifications of the bombing, as well as major communication issues at the top level of city government. As the investigation was ongoing, Mayor W. Wilson Goode…