1985 MOVE bombing to be remembered as Philadelphia City Council calls for "reflection" 40 years later
May 13, 2025, will mark 40 years to the day after the MOVE bombing, when the Philadelphia Police Department dropped a bomb on the headquarters of the Black liberation, back-to-nature group's Osage Avenue headquarters.
The bomb started a fire that ended up destroying more than 60 row homes in the West Philadelphia neighborhood. Five children and six adults in the MOVE house were killed. All shared the adopted surname Africa.
On Thursday, Philadelphia City Council held a hearing addressing the decades since the bombing and voted to adopt a resolution that would establish May 13 as a day of remembrance and reflection.
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, whose district includes the 6200 block of Osage Avenue where the bombing occurred, asked for a moment of silence for the Africa family members before introducing the resolution for final passage.
She then read the names of the 11 people killed before council passed the resolution.
The city is still dealing with the aftermath of the incident decades later. In 2021, remains of some of the victims were discovered to be in the custody of the Penn Museum, and more remains, believed to be those of 12-year-old Delisha Africa, were discovered in 2024.
The Africa family has since purchased the original Osage Avenue plot that contained their home and headquarters.