But Have You Heard About?
But Have You Heard About?
The Philly Bombing of MOVE
What did you think of todays' episode?
Well hey there listeners, did you miss me? Probably not, but I'll pretend that you've been in a void of interesting history factoids. It's been a literal year plus since I uploaded an episode. And I am starting this party off with some fun history.
On today's first episode back in 2024, Trisha and I discussed the MOVE bombing in Philly--who is MOVE, why did everyone (especially their neighbors) hate them, what shout out, and the bombing. Originally called the Christian Movement for Life, MOVE is a communal organization that advocates for nature laws and natural living. At times, it has been viewed as a cult, like many movements that started in the 70s. It was founded in 1972 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, by John Africa (born Vincent Leaphart). John was a West Philadelphia native and Korean War veteran. The name, styled in all capital letters, is not an acronym. MOVE lived in a communal setting in West Philadelphia, abiding by philosophies of anarcho-primitivism, meaning that they wanted to go back to hunter-gatherer type living. The pre-industrial revolutionary world at minimum. WIIIILD. Their ideology combined a wide array of ideologies, including environmentalism, animal rights and an end to capitalism–OR anti-government, anti-technology, and anti-corporation. The group's activities were closely watched by law enforcement, at times leading to armed confrontation, including the 1977 stand-off we touch on in this episode, and the bombing in 1985. Take a listen and let us know what we should talk about next!
Sources:
https://whyy.org/episodes/the-move-bombing-in-philadelphia-memory-and-justice/
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/8/8/20747198/philadelphia-bombing-1985-move