PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

MOVE 9 Up for Parole after 30 Years in Jail!
by BE47 Monday, Jun. 25, 2007 at 2:39 PM

Ramona Africa is speaking on why the MOVE 9 need to be released on parole in 2008. Ramona is the only adult survivor of the 1985 fire-bombing of the MOVE home in 1985. She has a very personal understanding of what happened to the MOVE activists in 1978 when the MOVE 9 were put in prison.

RAMONA AFRICA SPEAKS!
on RELEASING THE MOVE 9 IN 2008 AFTER 30 YEARS IN PENNSYLVANIA PRISONS
JULY 14 [SATURDAY] AT 3 PM, HARRISBURG QUAKER MEETING HOUSE [110 NORTH 6TH ST., Harrisburg]

We are having a very special and important guest speaker in harrisburg on saturday, july 14 at 3 PM. Ramona Africa will be speaking on why the 8 MOVE activists need to be released from prison in 2008. while ramona speaks all over the world and at places like harvard university, this is one of the rare times she is talking directly to we Pennsylvanians who can actually get the MOVE members released on parole in 2008.

Ramona is the only adult survivor of the philadelphia police assault on her home in 1985, she and one child lived after a fire bomb was dropped onto their house. 6 adults and 5 children were incinerated and 60 of their neighbors' home burned down as well. it was a horrible tragedy which started on Mothers' Day 1985 and ended the next day with the murder of most of the MOVE activists that were in the house.

Her talk will be about the previous police attack on the environmental and social justice community's other home in 1978. this was a similar police assault for nothing more than housing code violations. during the attack one policeman was killed by a bullet that seemed to be fired AT the MOVE house. somehow 9 of the victims of the attack were charge with firing the ONE bullet. these innocent people have been in prison for 30 years. if they do not get out in 2008, they may all end up serving the rest of their lives in jail. they all were given 30 to 100 year sentences. the are now up for parole. one of them, Merle Africa, has died in jail after not being with her children for twenty-five years. when arrested Merle and the others had been protesting for clean water in inner-city Philly and for humane treatment of animals at the Zoo. when told by the police to stop protesting and go home, they refused. this led to a horrible decade of police brutality, racism and intimidation against them.

if you can, please be at the Meeting House on saturday July 14 at three in the afternoon. the Meeting House is at 1100 North 6th Street, Harrisburg [the intersection of 6th & Herr Streets]. their side of the story simply must be heard. Ramona will welcome any questions at the end of her talk. who knows, maybe your understanding will make all the difference in righting this tremendous wrong! we as Pennsylvanians are keeping these dedicated activists in prison. We need to release them.

Please be there if you can. and spread the word!

www.onamove.com/move9/