Bettmann Archive
Philadelphia’s city health commissioner resigned this week after saying he cremated and disposed of some of the remains of the 1985 MOVE bombing victims.
However, on Friday, it was unclear what exactly had happened as the city announced that the remains were discovered in a refrigerated section of the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said Thursday that Dr. Thomas Farley resigned effective Wednesday. He made the announcement on the 36th anniversary of the bombing, which the city carried out against members of the Black liberation group MOVE.
“This action lacked empathy for the victims, their family, and the deep pain that the MOVE bombing has brought to our city for nearly four decades,” Kenney said in a statement. “The Team investigating this incident will include individuals specifically approved by the Africa family and we will make every effort to resolve this matter to MOVE’s satisfaction.”
Philadelphia health commissioner resigns after mayor learns he cremated and disposed of 1985 MOVE bombing victims remains
kaok.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kaok.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On top of Philly news Remains of children killed in MOVE bombing sat in a box at Penn Museum for decades
Where are they now, and who is responsible for them? No one seems to know.
Penn Museum at the University of Pennsylvania Emma Lee / WHYY Apr. 21, 2021, 3:30 p.m. Love Philly? Sign up for the free Billy Penn email newsletter to get everything you need to know about Philadelphia, every day.
No one seems to be sure what happened to a set of remains thought to be two children killed in the 1985 MOVE bombing.
For decades, the bones were kept at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. A Penn Museum spokesperson said the remains have since been transferred to the care of researchers at Princeton but an administrator at the New Jersey university was uncertain of their whereabouts. After this story published, a spokesperson said Princeton does not have them.
On the anniversary of MOVE bombing, fresh pain and calls for accountability on Osage Avenue Oona Goodin-Smith, The Philadelphia Inquirer © YONG KIM/The Philadelphia Inquirer/YONG KIM MOVE members speak to a crowd at Malcolm X Memorial Park in West Philadelphia on Thursday.
Thirty-six years to the day after Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on the MOVE rowhouse in Cobbs Creek, killing 11 people, including five children, and razing 61 homes, the pain is fresh on Osage Avenue.
“There are a lot of thoughts running through my mind,” said Mike Africa Jr. with a heavy sigh, looking out to the crowd of 200 dressed in white at Osage Avenue and Cobbs Creek Parkway. “Before we get to those, we have to say their names.”
Tree Africa, 14, and Delisha Africa, 12, were two of the children killed in the attack. A few weeks ago, it came to light that their remains were mishandled by anthropologists at Penn Museum and Princeton University. After advocacy following news reports, researchers last month delivered those remains to a funeral home, unlike the bone fragments Farley quietly had cremated four years ago.
On Thursday evening, Africa Jr. recalled the personalities of the lost people who used to be his childhood playmates.
Tree Africa, the oldest of the children, loved to climb trees, he said. Delisha Africa was a leader, someone who could help the other children execute their plans. Another, Netta Africa could best be described as a tattletale. “Anything you did that you didn’t want people to know, don’t do it in front of Netta,” said Mike. “Little” Phil Africa already had a girlfriend and plans, while Tomaso Africa had a belly the shape of a watermelon.
vimarsana © 2020. All Rights Reserved.