1985 MOVE bombing

1985 MOVE bombing
1985 MOVE bombing
Part of Black Power movement and political violence in the United States during the Cold War
	A crowd watching a row of buildings go up in flames after the bombing
Location	6221 Osage Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates	39°57′21″N 75°14′49″W / 39.9557°N 75.2469°W
Date	May 13, 1985
Target	MOVE members
Attack type	Aerial bombing with C4, police brutality
Weapons	Tovex; C-4
Outcome	Philadelphia Police Department found liable in federal court for excessive force and unreasonable search and seizure
Victims	11 killed, 250 people made homeless
Perpetrators	Philadelphia Police Department
Litigation	City of Philadelphia ordered to pay $1.5 million in 1996 to a MOVE bombing survivor and the families of people killed, $12.83 million awarded in 2005 to residents who were made homeless.

The 1985 MOVE bombing, locally known by its date, May 13, 1985,^[2] was the destruction of residential homes in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, by the Philadelphia Police Department during a standoff with MOVE, a black liberation organization. Philadelphia police dropped two explosive devices from a helicopter onto the roof of a house occupied by MOVE. The Philadelphia Police Department allowed the resulting fire to burn out of control, destroying 61 previously evacuated neighboring homes over two city blocks and leaving 250 people homeless.^[3] Six adults and five children were killed in the attack,^[4] with one adult and one child surviving. A lawsuit in federal court found that the city used excessive force and violated constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure.^[5]

^ Stein, Melissa N. (October 1, 2020). ""The Blood of Innocent Children": Race, Respectability, and "True" Victimhood in the 1985 MOVE Police Bombing". Souls. 22 (2–4): 160–184. doi:10.1080/10999949.2021.2003630. ISSN 1099-9949. S2CID 248779547.
^ Demby, Gene (May 13, 2015). "I'm From Philly. 30 Years Later, I'm Still Trying To Make Sense Of The MOVE Bombing". NPR. National Public Radio, Inc. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
^ Hall, Gray (May 13, 2020). "11 Philadelphia City Council members issue apology on 35th anniversary of MOVE bombing". 6abc Philadelphia. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
^ Cleaver, Kathleen Neal (1993). "Philadelphia fire". Peace Review. 5 (4): 467–474. doi:10.1080/10402659308425758. ISSN 1040-2659.
^ Cite error: The named reference NYT_1996-06-25 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[1] Stein, Melissa N. (October 1, 2020). ""The Blood of Innocent Children": Race, Respectability, and "True" Victimhood in the 1985 MOVE Police Bombing". Souls. 22 (2–4): 160–184. doi:10.1080/10999949.2021.2003630. ISSN 1099-9949. S2CID 248779547.

[Demby_2015-3] Demby, Gene (May 13, 2015). "I'm From Philly. 30 Years Later, I'm Still Trying To Make Sense Of The MOVE Bombing". NPR. National Public Radio, Inc. Retrieved May 13, 2023.

[4] Hall, Gray (May 13, 2020). "11 Philadelphia City Council members issue apology on 35th anniversary of MOVE bombing". 6abc Philadelphia. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.

[5] Cleaver, Kathleen Neal (1993). "Philadelphia fire". Peace Review. 5 (4): 467–474. doi:10.1080/10402659308425758. ISSN 1040-2659.

[NYT_1996-06-25-6] Cite error: The named reference NYT_1996-06-25 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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