Episode 31 – Originally Published 2017
Trigger warning – discussions about racism, police brutality, and death, including death of children
This episode is part two of They Let it Burn, the story of an activist organization called MOVE, lead by a man named John Africa who wanted to live by what he considered natural law. In part one we talked about Vincent Leapart, a man growing up in Philadelphia, looking for a way to make sense of what he thought was wrong in the world. We talked about his transition to become john Africa, and the movement he started in west Philadelphia, which ended in a standoff between the m embers of MOVE and the Philadelphia police, one officer dead and eleven members of move convicted of his murder.
In this episode, Part 2, dig into the next 7 tumultuous years between MOVE and the city of Philadelphia. MOVE members relocated to a new neighborhood, a house at 6221 Osage Avenue in the Cobbs Creek section of Philadelphia. For two years they battled their neighbors, the police and the city administration until May 13, 1985, when the city decided to take action. That action resulted in six adults and five children dying in a 6 alarm fire that took out entire city blocks, destroying 61 properties and leaving 250 people homeless. Within days the mayor appointed a special investigative commission to determine what happened, what could cause the city of Philadelphia to drop a bomb on it’s own people.
TwistedPhilly is researched, hosted, and produced by me, Deana Marie, and available biweekly wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow me on Tiktok and Instagram at twistedphilly to see many of the locations and histories I discuss in the show.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS