Also this issue:

Feds Indict "Mr. Fantastic"
A City Paper investigation leads to espionage charges.
-Howard Altman

Vegas, Baby!
-Daryl Gale

Hit 'Em Where They Live
-Daniel Brook

Rosey's Future
-Deborah Bolling

Gay-J's Host the USA
A national convention of lesbian and gay journalists makes headlines for Philly.
-David Warner

Starting the Dialogue
-Mary F. Patel

The Bell Curve
City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life

September 19-25, 2002

city beat

Incendiary Situation

Battening down the hatches: MOVE member Mo Africa prepares boards for the MOVE house in West Philadelphia. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Neighbors nervous as MOVE boards up headquarters.

by Gwen Shaffer

Eliciting frightening memories of May 1985, members of MOVE have boarded up the windows in their West Philly home, in preparation for a “confrontation” with city officials and police. Alberta Africa, a member of the unpredictable back-to-nature group, is defying a court order granting her son’s father custody of the boy every other weekend -- and MOVE members say if the city attempts to forcibly remove him from the home, they will be prepared.

"We don't want no confrontation," Pam Africa says. "But there's been every opportunity for this to be resolved peacefully."

Capt. William Fisher, head of the Civil Affairs Unit of the Philadelphia Police Department, insists police are not involved in the custody dispute and have "no plans" to take 6-year-old Zachary Gilbride from his mother. It is also important to note that Alberta and Zachary Africa moved to Cherry Hill several years ago, and the custody case was recently kicked over to the Camden County court system. Technically, whatever happens next in the custody battle won't be determined by Philadelphia Family Court.

MOVE members established their headquarters in these expansive twin homes at 4504-06 Kingsessing Ave. in July 1991. Property records list the owner of 4504 Kingsessing as "Life Trust Trustee Alberta King." The adjacent home is registered to "Wicker Alberta." Before the first- and third-story windows were boarded up on Monday, the homes blended in with the other well-maintained twins on the block. Purple begonias and red rosebushes line MOVE's front walk. The house abuts the nine-acre Clark Park, where teenagers toss Frisbees and local kids play.

Ramona Africa insists the impetus behind "the strategy" of boarding up the house is the safety of MOVE members.

"The window boards should tell people we have to protect our family because this government is not going to do it," she says. "They don't give a damn about our babies."

History speaks for itself. On May 13, 1985, MOVE members bunkered down in their headquarters at 6221 Osage Ave. About 100 officers surrounded the house early that morning to serve arrest warrants to several MOVE members. MOVE members refused to surrender and a gunfight ensued. In response, the police hatched a questionable plan to destroy a rooftop bunker on the house by dropping a bomb from a helicopter. The explosion sparked a fire that ultimately destroyed 61 other homes. Eleven people inside the MOVE house died -- only Ramona Africa and a young boy walked out alive.

In 1978, Philadelphia police arrived at MOVE's former headquarters in Powelton, with the intent of evicting the group from the fortified house. A confrontation erupted, and Philadelphia Police Officer James Ramp was shot to death. Nine MOVE members were convicted of murder in that case.

The current custody dispute involving Alberta Africa has raged for four years. Alberta is the former wife of John Africa, who was killed in the deadly 1985 bombing. She had Zachary with longtime MOVE supporter John Gilbride. After the couple split, Philadelphia Family Court Judge Edward Rosenberg ordered that Gilbride could have two supervised visits per week with his son in Alberta Africa's home. According to Ramona Africa, these visits have been taking place uneventfully for several years. But recently, Rosenberg retired and the case was handed over to Judge Shelley Robbins New. On Aug. 8, she ordered that Gilbride be given custody of the child every other weekend and six days over the Christmas holiday.

Alberta Africa and other MOVE members contend it is against their "religious beliefs" for a child to ever be separated from his or her mother. They also accuse Gilbride of being an "unfit father" because he abandoned Alberta and her son for six months when Zachary was 2 years old. MOVE members also claim Gilbride harmed Zachary's self-esteem when he told the child he "walked like a girl."

In addition, Pam Africa says that Gilbride pushed Alberta into a wall on Aug. 27 -- but a Camden County judge refused to issue a permanent restraining order against Gilbride, calling into question the credibility of the charge.

On top of all this, MOVE members say they fear Gilbride will kidnap Zachary if he is allowed unsupervised visits. Gilbride, who could not be reached for comment, apparently works for U.S. Airways. Ramona Africa says he could "fly anywhere in the world" with Zachary and "no one will ever see him or his son again."

Judge Myrna Fields, President Judge of Philadelphia Family Court, did not return a call before press time.

Capt. Fisher says he was "shocked" when MOVE members "put the wood up." Pam and Alberta Africa met with Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson on Sept. 12 and, at the time, all parties seemed satisfied with the meeting, Fisher says.

"The boards on the windows are a flashback to 1985," Fisher says. "But the current administration is less likely to react. My main thing is the safety of everyone involved.... We've been through two tragedies and I don't want to see a third."

On Tuesday morning, Fisher leaned over the chainlink fence surrounding MOVE's headquarters for the second day in a row. He asked Pam Africa if everything was going OK. "The Police Commissioner is going to be up-front with you," he assured her.

About 13 small children, all sporting neat dreadlocks, played in the front yard of the house. They drew pictures on the cement with chalk and petted five dogs loitering in the gravel yard. A half-dozen adults supervised the children, while other MOVE members answered questions from the media.

In light of the fact that Philadelphia officials insist they have no intention of raiding MOVE headquarters -- plus the fact that Alberta Africa and her son live in Cherry Hill -- one has to wonder if MOVE's decision to fortify the house is anything more than a publicity stunt.

"I don't know if it's a stunt or not," Capt. Fisher says. "But given what we've been through twice with MOVE, I'll take that over the alternative."

Neighbor Adam Goldman says MOVE members take "excellent care of their house."

"In the fall, they sweep leaves well beyond their own property," he says. "And when it snows, they shovel the entire block."

Living just two doors from MOVE headquarters, Goldman says he can't help but be a bit concerned about the possibility of a confrontation between the group and cops. But, he adds, he doesn't blame MOVE for taking precautions by fortifying the house.

"MOVE has reason to be anxious," Goldman says. "I can't blame them for protecting themselves."

PREVIOUS REPORTS;
No MOVE-ing On (March 2000); Whose MOVE? (May 2000); Moving on MOVE? (March 2001)