MOVE (Philadelphia organization)
MOVE, originally the Christian Movement for Life, is a communal organization that advocates for nature laws and natural living, founded in 1972 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, by John Africa. 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. The group combined revolutionary ideology, similar to that of the Black Panthers, with work for animal rights.
MOVE (Philadelphia organization)
John Africa, born Vincent Leaphart, was the founder of MOVE, a Philadelphia-based, predominantly black organization active from the early 1970s and still active. He and his followers were killed at a residential home, which served as the headquarters of MOVE, in a fire after the Philadelphia Police Department bombed the house with C4-explosive, and deliberately let the fire rage until it was out of control following a standoff and firefight between MOVE and police.
John Africa
Africa hugging his attorney Jack Snite outside the James A. Byrne United States Courthouse after being acquitted of weapons and conspiracy charges, July 22, 1981
Jesse Jackson (far left) and other pallbearers carrying the remains of Africa
Africa's sister Louise James being helped away from a cloth-covered board containing his remains