1985 MOVE bombing
The 1985 MOVE bombing, locally known by its date, May 13, 1985, was the destruction of residential homes in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, by the Philadelphia Police Department during a standoff with MOVE, a black liberation organization. Philadelphia police dropped two explosive devices from a helicopter onto the roof of a house occupied by MOVE. The Philadelphia Police Department allowed the resulting fire to burn out of control, destroying 61 previously evacuated neighboring homes over two city blocks and leaving 250 people homeless. Six adults and five children were killed in the attack, with one adult and one child surviving. A lawsuit in federal court found that the city used excessive force and violated constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
| 1985 MOVE bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of Black Power movement and political violence in the United States during the Cold War | |
A crowd watching a row of buildings go up in flames after the bombing | |
| Location | 6221 Osage Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39.9557°N 75.2469°W |
| Date | May 13, 1985 |
| Target | MOVE members |
Attack type | Aerial bombing with C4, police brutality |
| Weapons | Tovex C-4 |
| Outcome | Philadelphia Police Department found liable in federal court for excessive force and unreasonable search and seizure |
| Victims | 11 killed, 250 people made homeless |
| Perpetrators | Philadelphia Police Department |
| Litigation | City of Philadelphia ordered to pay $1.5 million in 1996 to a MOVE bombing survivor and the families of people killed, $12.83 million awarded in 2005 to residents who were made homeless. |