MOVE Home, Site of Bombing, Due to Be Sold

PHILADELPHIA — The city’s Redevelopment Authority voted unanimously Wednesday to sell the property where 11 members of the cult MOVE died in a fiery 1985 clash with police.

The Redevelopment Authority, which controls the lot once occupied by the MOVE headquarters, agreed to sell the rebuilt home for $1 to the city-controlled Philadelphia Housing Development Corp.

The City Council must approve the sale, city Housing Authority Director Edward Schwartz said.

“The PHDC will seek to find somebody in cooperation with the neighbors who will be an appropriate resident of that block, a low- or moderate-income resident of this city and who will be a responsible neighbor and contribute to what that block wants to see, which is a healthy community,” he said.

City officials have ruled out selling the property to Louise James. The former owner of the MOVE home and sister of slain MOVE founder John Africa has been waging a legal battle for ownership of the property. Her home was used as headquarters for the radical back-to-nature group.

Africa, and James’ son, Frank, were among six adults and five children killed May 13, 1985, when police dropped a bomb on the heavily fortified MOVE home after a daylong standoff.