Untitled (MOVE Fortifies The Compound)

Untitled (MOVE Fortifies The Compound)

MOVE preparing for conflict

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 top of the roof. That bunker would prove to be a major issue for Philadelphia Police, as it gave MOVE a tactical advantage. They controlled the highest point on Osage Avenue and could prevent police officers from coming in through the roof. As time passed, they let the compound become filthy and blared obscenities through their loudspeakers, forcing neighbors to plead with the city to do something about MOVE.

West Philadelphia Collaborative History, "MOVE On Osage Avenue"

https://collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/stories/move-osage-avenue

Philadelphia Inquirer

April 1985

Public Domain

JPEG

Photograph

Photograph