13-05-2025
Philadelphia marks 40th anniversary of MOVE bombing
Forty years ago today, Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on a city rowhouse.
Why it matters: The bombing of MOVE's headquarters was among the most tragic and polarizing events in Philly history — killing 11 members of the Black liberation group (including five children) and destroying 61 homes.
Driving the news: The Community College of Philadelphia is hosting a daylong symposium on the 40th anniversary of the bombing today from 9am to 4pm inside the Winnet Building's Great Hall.
Scholars, journalists, artists and cultural leaders will discuss the bombing and its aftermath.
Michael Africa Jr., the legacy director of MOVE, is the keynote speaker.
What else: At 5pm, the MOVE Activist Archive will hold a commemoration in front of the historical marker at Cobbs Creek Parkway and Osage Avenue.
A narration of the events from that day will begin at 5:27pm — the time the bomb dropped.
Context: On May 13, 1985, hundreds of officers laid siege to MOVE's rowhouse in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood after a violent confrontation between police and the group's members.
Police fired more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition in under an hour and a half.
Despite knowing about children inside, police dropped a bomb made of C-4 explosives on the house — with approval from city officials.
Law enforcement allowed the resulting blaze to burn out of control for over an hour.
No one was ever criminally charged.
