- cross-posted to:
- usauthoritarianism@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- usauthoritarianism@lemmy.world
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/15035901
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The police obtained arrest warrants in 1985 charging four MOVE occupants with crimes including parole violations, contempt of court, illegal possession of firearms, and making terroristic threats. Mayor Wilson Goode and police commissioner Gregore J. Sambor classified MOVE as a terrorist organization. Police evacuated residents of the area from the neighborhood prior to their action. Residents were told that they would be able to return to their homes after a 24-hour period.
There was an armed standoff with police, who threw tear gas canisters at the building. The MOVE members fired at them, and a gunfight with semi-automatic and automatic firearms ensued for 90 minutes… At 2 p.m., Sambor ordered that the compound be bombed.
From a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter, Philadelphia Police Department proceeded to drop two 1.5-pound bombs (which the police referred to as “entry devices”) made of Tovex, a dynamite substitute, combined with two pounds of FBI-supplied C-4, targeting a fortified, bunker-like cubicle on the roof of the house. The bombs exploded after 45 seconds, igniting the fuel of a gasoline-powered generator and setting the house on fire, which was left to burn. Officials later stated that this was to let the fire burn through the roof and destroy the “bunker”, so police could then drop tear gas into the house and flush out the occupants.
30 minutes later, firefighters moved in to control the fire but there was gunfire and the firefighters and police were ordered back as the fire spread to neighboring houses down the street.
The only two MOVE survivors, Birdie Africa, who was 13 at the time, and Ramona Africa, both escaped the house. Police initially said that two men had also run out of the house at the same time and fired at them and that police had returned fire. Ramona Africa said that police fired at those trying to escape. Police said that MOVE members moved in and out of the house shooting at the police. The fire department later declared the fire under control at 11:47 p.m.
If that’s all true, then the two who lived are lucky after they had the gall to shoot at firefighters.
You’re assuming that both of them, including the 13-year old, fired at the firefighters?
No but I am assuming the two of them were a part of the larger MOVE group referred to as “they”, especially given they both had the last name Africa which was adopted by all of the cult’s members. It’s a miracle anybody made it out of the compound after hours of gunfighting and fires that engulfed 2 blocks.
You should not assume children are part of any group or movement. This wasn’t a good vs bad event, as reality seldom is. Shitty people on both ends resulted in a tragedy.
Uh okay pal, how about this reformatting:
If that’s all true, then that adult and child from the cult who lived are lucky they lived after their cult had the gall to shoot at firefighters.
Thanks pal, I agree with you once you reformatted yourself for clarity. Ty for finally being clear!
Boy of you think 13-year-olds can’t shoot you haven’t seen shit
Boy of you think 4-year-olds can’t shoot you haven’t seen shit
/s
Seems reasonable
Bombing a house in the middle of a residential area seems “reasonable”?
A judge and jury found the police department used unnecessary excessive violence and violated constitutional protections against unlawful searches.
That’s definitely sarcastic.
We got some messed up people on this site already we can never be too sure.
Nah, police weren’t adequately trained to handle something on this scale. Something had to be done, but not by police with satchel charges and an anti-tank machinegun.
What is an anti tank machine gun?
In WWI there were attempts to bring down early tanks with heavy machine guns (the armor was not that thick back then)… but i am not sure if this is an official category.
A big gun with big bullets that shoots really fast. Fuck if I know the model, but the police had and used it in this event.
anti-tank machine gun
What?
Yeah the city police had and used it. Crazy, right?
Holy shit, I’d never heard about this.
Okay but did you know that they were brown people? Checkmate liberals
I remember this craziness. Was insane and of course, it was all considered ok.
Militarization of the police has been a wild fucking ride over the last 40 years.
Acorn drops and some pimple-faced teenager with a badge goes on a shooting rampage. Then we’re told he needs better training, so we spend another couple million dollars bringing in IDF officers to train local cops on effective use of Skunk spray
The only surviving adult MOVE member, Ramona Africa, refused to testify in court and was charged and convicted on charges of riot and conspiracy; she served seven years in prison.
Jesus Christ! No criminal charges against police so let’s imprison the sole surviving victim!
(She did get a handsome settlement years later, so there’s that but holy hell man)
Devil’s Advocacy, read at your own risk:
According to the police, they evacuated the civilians from the area and engaged in a gunfight with the compound which housed known terrorists called MOVE, an anti-government and anti-technology religious organization whose members were all black and changed their last names to Africa as a form of symbolism who had years earlier killed a police officer leading to a lifelong conviction for 9 of it’s members.
The terrorists were armed with automatic weapons and a gas generator on the roof of the compound. After the 2 small bombs opened a hole on the roof and took out the generator, the terrorists supposedly even shot at firefighters who approached the scene which allowed the fire to spread. 61 home burnt with Six adults and five children as fatalities.
My take: The police should not have automatic anti-tank rifles or C4 Satchel Bombs. They should never have attempted to preemptively remove MOVE members from any residence, regardless of the status of their parole. This is not the job for people with less training than the people who cut hair for a living. The city held on to some of the corpses for 35 years, and all of the children were cremated and buried in unmarked graves, which is pretty fucked up.
But also, I’m certainly not on MOVE’s side in this situation. Those morons fucked around and found out. The fact that there are people around today who know about all this and wanted to pick up that banner for themselves is beyond moronic.
*terrorists as labeled by the fucking mayor…
We got goddamned Vote Quimby down here deciding who’s a terrorist because they got warrants, trash, and a bullhorn being a public nuisance.
Edit: -Terrorists armed with a… gas generator (commence pearl clutching)
-what the actual fucking fuck did the Keystone Kops think would happen if they dropped explosives on the gas generator in hopes of “taking out the “rooftop bunker”” which was most likely the goddamned rooftop access. They had to know. And if the didn’t, they were criminally stupid.
-you mention that anyone picking up their banner today is (some derogatory term I forget). Can you really not see why someone would look to extremes when faced with systemic oppression?
-and: 2A rights for everyone! “oh, only WASPy, good, christian tightey-whitey men, sorry - not you… When any minority holds a gun they’re obviously criminals.” and yes, I know there were warrants and shootouts in this case. But justice wasn’t served.
Idk, I’m several drinks in atm, but you’d make big money picking cherries.
*terrorists as labeled by the fucking mayor… a terrorist because they got warrants, trash, and a bullhorn being a public nuisance.
Alos Warrants for making terroristic threats, illegal possession of firearms, parole violations, contempt of court
Terrorists armed with a… gas generator (commence pearl clutching)
And automatic weapons. You used the … to erase the automatic weapons part.
what the actual fucking fuck did the Keystone Kops think would happen if they dropped explosives on the gas generator in hopes of “taking out the “rooftop bunker”” which was most likely the goddamned rooftop access. They had to know. And if the didn’t, they were criminally stupid.
Wow, not knowing where people store their generators is the bar for criminal stupidity? I have a different bar
and: 2A rights for everyone! “oh, only WASPy, good, christian tightey-whitey men, sorry - not you… When any minority holds a gun they’re obviously criminals.” and yes, I know there were warrants and shootouts in this case. But justice wasn’t served.
Ah yes, story we hear every week outta murica, them white folks, shooting their automatic assault rifles at the cops and getting away with it
/s
Seriously, if you start a business picking cherries, I’d like to invest, I haven’t seen anyone so skilled since 2020
