IDKMYDE: #MM Philadelphia

On this episode of #IDKMYDE, we dive into a chilling event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, back in 1985. Tensions reached a boiling point between police and members of the  M.O.V.E. organization  in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood. What followed was a harrowing standoff that ended in tragedy.  Join us as we uncover the shocking events of that fateful day and reflect on the devastating impact it had on the city of Philadelphia. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Massacre Monday City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, year nineteen hundred and eighty five.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
I didn't know.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
You didn't No, I didn't know. Maybe no, I didn't know.
Maybe you didn't I did No, I didn't know.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
I didn't know.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
I didn't know.

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Now this was crazy to me. In nineteen eighty five,
a lot of us were alive. You did you know what
I'm saying, live in life. Also in nineteen eighty five
there were folks dying by the City of Philadelphia while
living in Philadelphia. I first have to introduce you to
the Move organization move.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Move is not an acronym.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
John Africa founded it, and he said he wanted the
name of the organization to be exactly what they intended
to do.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Move. Everything that's alive moves. I respect it.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Now, everybody that was part of the Move organization that
was founded in nineteen seventy.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
Two all warlocked.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
So this group moved into some row homes in the
Cobbs Creek neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Now, in nineteen seventy eight,
they did have a standoff with the police Department of Philadelphia,
which resulted in the police officer being killed. They deemed
about ten people responsible for that and gave them all
between thirty and one hundred years. So from nineteen seventy
eight to nineteen eighty five there were still some things

(01:22):
going on, but Move the group had actually moved to
the Cobbs Creek neighborhood. Now, if you're like me and
not very familiar with Cobbs Creek, that area's in West Philadelphia.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Now be clear.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
The neighbors had to complain to the city for years
about trash around the building, confrontations with the neighbors, bullhorn
announcements of political messages by the MOVE members. So the
police got arrest warrants and by nineteen eighty five they
was charging four of the MOVE occupants with crimes, noise violations,
contempt of court, illegal possession of firearms, terroristic threats. Now,

(02:00):
the police evacuated the residents of the neighborhood before they
mobbed on the row of homes occupied by the MOVE members.
They told those residents you can come back home in
twenty four hours Monday May thirteenth, nineteen eighty five, five
hundred police officers. City Manager Leo Brooks is out there
and their attempting to clear the building and remove the

(02:21):
MOVE members and execute these arrest warrants. They cut off
the water, they've cut off the electricity. This is five AM,
and they tell the MOVE members, attention.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
MOVE members, this is America. You have to abide by
the laws of the United States. You have fifteen minutes
to come out.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
And when they didn't, they decided to forcibly remove those
people in there, seven adults, six children.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
They throw tear gas.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
The police use over ten thousand rounds of am By
two PM.

Speaker 3 (02:52):
The order was given bomb the compound.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
It was a Pennsylvania State Police helicopter and they dropped
two one and a half pound bombs of FBI supplied
C four on the roof of that house. The bombs
exploded after forty five seconds. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Police Department
dropped two bombs on the residents in its own city

(03:17):
where they knew seven adults and six children were They
killed eleven people in that house, six adults, five children.
Two hundred and fifty people were homeless. At sixty one
of the neighboring houses were destroyed.

Speaker 3 (03:32):
Because of the.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Fire, they weren't able to come home. Twenty four hours later, Philadelphia,
the city that bombed itself and I didn't know.

Speaker 3 (03:40):
Maybe you didn't either, No,