If Bundy’s Gang Were Black, They’d Be Bombed Like MOVE
What the ongoing Oregon standoff has taught us is that it’s never been more apparent that the U.S. government values white lives above all others. The most stark example is comparing the kid-gloves treatment the white gunmen in Oregon are getting with the 1985 bombing of the MOVE house in Philadelphia.
Currently, the FBI is cooperating with local law enforcement and negotiating for the return of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge southeast of Burns, Oregon. The negotiations are peaceful, despite the fact that the group occupying the facility is heavily-armed and has publicly announced they are willing to die for their cause and won’t rule out the use of violence to continue occupying the building. The group, led by Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s son, Ammon, is predominantly white.
As US Uncut previously reported, the Bundy gang and its “patriot” supporters come from the “white power” movements of the 1970s, believe in an ideology held up by conspiracy theories, and hold the radical philosophy that the highest legitimate governmental authority is the county sheriff. Even the county sheriff in Burns has called for the gunmen to stand down and turn themselves in. As of this writing, the Bundy militia is still barricaded inside the Malheur Wildlife Refuge headquarters and refuses to give up peacefully.
However, if Ammon Bundy’s armed gang was black, they likely would have been bombed into oblivion by now. Law enforcement showed no restraint in doing so 30 years ago in West Philadelphia, as the MOVE bombing proves.
MOVE began in the early 1970s as the Community Action Movement, colloquially known as “Vinnie’s Gang,” before changing its name to MOVE, advocating for returning back to the land and freeing captivated animals. Members also changed their last names to “Africa” to show reverence for their motherland. By the late 1970s, MOVE’s neighbors in West Philadelphia’s Powelton Village neighborhood had filed numerous public health complaints with local police, who responded with brute force.
Mayor Frank Rizzo, a former police officer who framed himself as a tough-on-crime politician, ordered police to evict MOVE from their property and to bulldoze their home. MOVE members responded by firing on police, who then returned fire with automatic weapons. Officer James J. Ramp was killed during the shootout, and 9 MOVE members were convicted on murder charges as a result of Ramp’s death. Those 9 people, known as the MOVE 9, have been in jail ever since that night.
MOVE leader John Africa temporarily went on the run while his group moved its headquarters to 6221 Osage Avenue. Soon after, neighbors filed more complaints with the Philadelphia Police Department alleging that MOVE was broadcasting political messages via bullhorn at all hours of the night, in addition to complaining about the stench coming from compost heaps in MOVE’s backyard. Newly-elected mayor W. Wilson Goode was persuaded by District Attorney Ed Rendell (who would later become Pennsylvania’s governor) that there was sufficient cause for a search warrant. Police then evacuated neighbors from the block and surrounded the building, preparing for a siege on the MOVE house.
The shootout began before 6 AM, and culminated with a state police helicopter dropping bombs on the MOVE house. 11 people were killed, including 5 children. 65 homes were destroyed as a result of the widespread fire from the bombing, displacing 250 residents. It was the first time Philadelphia police used military-grade explosives on its own citizens.
“The whole house shook, but we didn’t know what it was,” said bombing survivor Ramona Africa in an interview with CBS Philadelphia. “We didn’t even know initially that there was a fire.”
Ramona Africa, MOVE bombing survivor, in 2013.
“We tried to get our children, our animals, ourselves out of that blazing inferno,” Africa said. “And as the cops saw us coming out, they opened fire.”
Ramona Africa was convicted on riot and conspiracy charges in the wake of the bombing, and served 7 years in prison. It wasn’t until 1996 when city officials were forced to pay a $1.5 million settlement to Ramona — who was awarded $500,000 — and two relatives of MOVE leader John Africa and John’s nephew, Frank. The city also paid a $25 million settlement to the parents of the 5 children killed in the bombing, and $90,000 to each relative of the other 6 victims.
As the current leader of MOVE, Ramona Africa said she refuses to give up her fight to free the MOVE 9.
“Our family members have been in jail for 35 years now for a crime they didn’t commit,” Africa said. “They have seen the parole board numerous times, but the parole board refuses to give them parole.”
A commission appointed by city officials later stated that “dropping a bomb on an occupied row house was unconscionable,” yet no criminal charges were ever filed against any of the city officials who ordered the bombing.
Remnants of homes in the wake of the MOVE bombing.
http://usuncut.com/resistance/bundys-gang-black-bombed-like-move/
