Monday, September 25, 2006

MOVE Statement About the August 8, 1978 Attack

LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA

ONA MOVE! It has come to our attention that Cops involved in trying to kill our move family on August 8, 1978 were recently given awards for demonstrating valor and bravery on that day (See the attached newspaper article by Stu Bykofsky).

There is absolutely no bravery, no valor in cops that admitted to trying to kill innocent MOVE men, women babies and animals. These are cops that actually testified to emptying their guns into corners of the basement of our house where they heard babies crying, reloading their guns and emptying them again in the direction of crying babies.

These are cops that attacked our unarmed brother, Delbert Africa, as he came out of our house and beat him almost to death for no reason at all accept to vent their sadism and racism. Police officials blatantly lied and denied the attack on Delbert but it was caught on camera by a news team, so they were exposed for not only being vicious but also for being liars. Right after this vicious attack on MOVE people and as a direct result of it, The U.S. Justice Dept. indicted The Phila. Police Dept. for viciousness.

Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson issued these awards while apologizing for it taking so long (28 years) for them to be recognized. Understand something, these awards were given to 9 cops from The MOVE 9’s case, including two of the four cops captured on film viciously beating our brother Delbert Africa, this is definitely deliberate and not a coincidence. They’re sending a message, planning a so-called strategy. Stu Bykofsky says that he knows if there were allegations of police misconduct that day it wouldn’t have taken 28 years to put the cops on trial. What planet is Bykofsky living on?

Very few cops are ever even put on trial for police brutality. Case in point, District Attorney (now governor) Ed Rendell refused to prosecute the cops that were seen on film beating our brother Delbert on Aug. 8th. When MOVE refused to be quiet about it and consistently pushed the issue, Rendell said he couldn’t identify the cops from the film. When Delbert identified the cops by name, Rendell still took more than a year to file charges against these cops, and then he only filed charges of “official repression”, not “attempted murder” or even “aggravated assault”.

The presiding judge of this farce of a trial, Stanley Kubaki, never even allowed the jury to decide the case, he aquitted the cops of all charges himself. In the May 13, 1985 government bombing of MOVE where babies, women, men and animals were burned alive and shot to death to prevent any escape from the fire, not one single official was ever charged with anything.

When our sister, Ramona Africa, the only adult to survive that vicious attack, filed a federal civil suit against these officials and got a verdict in our favor, the presiding judge, Louis Pollak, over-ruled the jury and granted “immunity” after the verdict to the only two individual defendants that had not already been granted immunity- the police commissioner and the fire commissioner. Once again Bykofsky is exposed for just being a butt-kisser for this rotten system because he’s a journalist and knows about these examples and countless more that we don’t even know about, yet he made that asinine remark about cops being put on trial for police misconduct.

The issue of why it took so long to recognize these cops is raised by Police Commissioner Johnson and Bykofsky but was not answered so MOVE will answer it. These cops were not awarded before because this government did not want to call attention this massive injustice and raise even more questions that it couldn’t answer without indicting itself. MOVE will also tell you why system officials are focusing on these cops now, giving them awards for bravery now.

For those of you that don’t already know, The MOVE 9 is coming up for parole soon (2008), and officials want to vilify MOVE, label us as violent, as cop-killers while labeling the cops as heroic victims in order to try to build a case against The MOVE 9 being paroled, that’s all this is really about. The MOVE 9 have been in prison for almost thirty years for a crime that they didn’t commit, a crime that officials know they didn’t commit, and now they’re mounting a campaign to keep MOVE in prison.

There is absolutely no reason why The MOVE 9 should not be paroled (They should never have been sent to prison in the first place) and that’s another reason for these official theatrics. They have no valid reason to deny MOVE parole so they’re trying to turn public sentiment against us by praising the cops, generating sympathy for the cops and defaming MOVE.

They’re starting a campaign against the MOVE 9 and the MOVE family aint gonna sit by quietly and watch this vicious plot unfold without exposing it for what it is. Anytime these officials come with these offensive tactics we’re coming right back at ‘em and exposing them in defense of our family. Stay alert because we expect more of these deceptive and pathetic tactics from officials as the year 2008 gets closer. This is just the beginning.

THE MOVE ORGANIZATION

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http:// www.cafepress.com/onamove and
http://www.onamove.com


Posted on Mon, Sep. 18, 2006
Stu Bykofsky Writes:
28-year wait to honor cops' valor

TWENTY-EIGHT years isn't too long to wait, is it?

In 1978, Frank Rizzo was mayor, Jimmy Carter was president, Poland's Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II, "Laverne & Shirley" was TV's biggest hit, "The Deer Hunter" was the best picture, and Philadelphia police carrying out a judge's order on Aug. 8 were fired upon by MOVE "revolutionaries."

Stakeout Officer James Ramp died, several other cops and firefighters were wounded and other cops risked their lives on that humid August morning. Their bravery was never recognized by their city or even by their department.

That changed last week when nine officers were honored during Police Department commendation ceremonies at Fraternal Order of Police headquarters. The nine are Police Officers James Ramp, Lawrence D'Ulisse, Thomas Hesson, Charles Stewart, Joseph Zagame, Harry Mackel, James Farry and Albert Crane, and Lt. William Krause.

The meeting hall was packed with friends and family of the Nine, plus the families of dozens of other cops recognized for outstanding police work in recent months. The Nine each received the Valor Award, the department's highest, given for bravery under fire.

The Big Question was why it took 28 years to recognize the Nine.

The Big Answer was not forthcoming.

No one wanted to venture an opinion - not former stakeout officer Hesson, shot in the chest that day; not former lieutenant Krause, shot in the stomach and right arm; not current Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson, who was in homicide in 1978 and remembers being stunned by the police radio call about a ferocious gun battle in Powelton Village.

"They should have done it a long time ago when I had people alive who would appreciate it, my family and all," said Hesson, who still carries bullet fragments in his chest. He was gunned down as he ran across the street to aid the mortally wounded Ramp, who had not even drawn his gun.

"I've been trying to get them to do it for a long time, but for some reason they wouldn't do it," he said.

Krause was "surprised" to get the recognition, but not surprised it took 28 years.

"I understand why," he said darkly.

I asked him to explain.

He paused. "I don't want to get involved."

Retired stakeout cop D'Ulisse wondered if the delay "was political or whatever."

I think "whatever," but I can't be sure, so I brought the question to Commissioner Johnson, who carefully distinguished between the 1985 Osage Avenue battle with MOVE and the Aug. 8, 1978, shootout.

"When a lot of people talk about MOVE, they talk about 1985," Johnson said. "In 1978, it was totally, completely different. I apologize to them for taking so long" for the recognition.

Did some sort of politics play a role?

"I try to stay away from politics as much as I can. I just try to do the right thing and the right thing is to honor them," Johnson said.

I looked back at the clips from 1978 and saw a traumatized city. Were the honors denied the cops because Philly felt shame or guilt for allowing the MOVE siuation to fester for 15 months? Was it fear of lawsuits? Worry about fanning racial tumult? The city's teeth were on edge after the shootout.

I tried to get a few words out of James Ramp's son, who lost the most that day, but someone pulled him away, maybe someone with bad feelings about the press, I don't know.

I do know if there had been allegations of police misconduct that day it wouldn't have taken 28 years to put the cops on trial.

But it took 28 years to honor them.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail stubyko@phillynews.com or call 215-854-5977. For recent columns: http://go.philly.com/byko.

5 comments:

Bridget said...

I agree that much has happened to the MOVE group and I grieve for all those who passed. But is it right to blame those when you gave them no other choice? Martin Luther King found a way to protest without using weapons of any kind, even when his house was bombed. There are alternatives and the police are not the only ones to blame for what happened to the MOVE. I think members need to take a good look at themselves as well.

Emperor & President of U.S. said...

this is HRM Caesar Saint Augustine de Buonaparte Emperor of the United States of Turtle Island although the title is symbolic of all the children & uninvolved peoples in all the the wars in human history,the most symbolic in my story is for the most recent as told by john's story as told by arthur goldwag in his book Cults,
Conspiracies & Secret societies,
copyright 2009, I to know what is is like to be interfered with &
surpressed as my submission to run for the Puppet presidentcy of the USA I symbolicly overthrew this contry back in Oct. 1996 by declareing war on the USA, notifiying all the officials of the country in writing & with a video tape of the cable program I
did at that time since, it seems the SILENT war against me has taken it's told, my more then 100
videos's on you yube tell the story
if only all of the cults that REALLY want to change things in this evil country would put aside their differencies & band togather
we could all seriouly injury this country to really take control, I could guide all of you in the disiplines needed to bring real continuing good healthas a contributor BUT this can not happen with showing this evil constantly interfereing government
the addictive habits they have for wars & oppressing peoples here & all over the world, I'm sure if you have seen some of Frank Dorrels
videos you would be convinced &
angry that these people in control
need to be eleminated forever & any contracts they may have with any forces known & unknown (top Secret) to be perminetly put to rest forever before they do what they are either going to do or anything they plan to ignor which may bring Death to all of us, THE EARTH IS TRULY AN OASIS IN SPACE MOST OF THE WORLD KNOWS THAT OR SHOULD KNOW THAT & THAT IS THE DETERMINING FACTOR IN RIDDING US ALL TRULY INTELLEGENT BEINGS AND THOSE THAT ARE FIGHTING TO LEARN MORE TO BECOME INTELLEGENT THEMSELVES DISPITE THEIR SHORT COMING, IT IS NO COINSIDENCE THAT MOVIES & COMICS LIKE THE x MEN, OR
THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR, & MANY OTHERS REVEAL IN BITS & BITS OF HINTS OF WHAT WE ALL NEED TO DO
SO LONG AS THAY ARE IN CHARGE THEY WILL FEED THE CATCH 22 MONSTER WHICH THEY THE OPPPOSION PUT INTO MOTION A WAY TO LONG AGO, SOMETHING WHICH I believe not even they want to change it, but they are the ones that did it & NONE of
us should be paying for it. take all your money out of the banks,
stop buying gasoline, or buy only
1 gallon at a time ,& of course get as many people to stop paying taxes, it really is the only way
they THE EVIL ONE'S WILL COME TO A TABLE CONFERANCE OF COPITULATION &
then to surrender their hold on a people that truly desire REAL FREEDOMS that are owed to all of us thousands of time over. I'm also
known on you tube as realitiesupremebeing

Emperor & President of U.S. said...

is actual fact when I declared war on the usa I did give them 30 to answer, they did not answer so then
ideally speaking I was the new law
in america, I then changed the name of america to turtle island
because when the white euro men & women came to this continent they never asked the native peoples for permission to give this country it's name, they also never asked for permission to name place a tag on the native peoples of INDIANS
they are not indians and still are not to this day, I also made it illegal for any alledged authority
to declare any war or war type action to any other countries as well as domestic, this is where it all started and it is up to us the cults to absolutly destroy them WITHOUT FIRING ONE SHOT WE ALL CAN
BOYCOTT THEM OUT OF BUSSINESS FOREVER & TO NEVER AGAIN ALLOW SUCH
CONTIDICTORY HUMANS TO BE IN CONTROL AGAIN IT IS NOW UP TO ALL OF YOU TO RESPOND IF YOU DON'T THEM YOU DESERVE EVERY INJUSTICE THAT YOU WILL GET

Emperor & President of U.S. said...

YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN JOHN AFRICA akaVINCENT LOPEZ LEAPHART
it is an interesting coinsedence
that the street I live on in 2009
writing of the cult book I was on a street named Hart street before the city of Los angeles put the torch to it to make me MOVE.

Lionzman said...

I live in the Caribben on the island of Sint Maarten. Sint Maarten is a colony of Holland and we suffer daily attrocities at the hands of an oppressive imperialist regime. I can recall the first time I was made aware of the MOVE organization, in 1997. I was employed at the ABN/AMRO Bank, and I purchased a magazine clled the Source,it contained an article on the members and how many of them were muredered in cold blood by the US government. The US government have perpetrated crimes against humanity globally. And they still continue to oppress and abuse the Humanrights of people worldwide. On Sint Maarten as a result of an Archaic treaty drawn up between the Sint Maarten government and the US, citizens from the US can live and work on Sint Maarten, yet Sint Marten citizens cannot do likewise in the US. These types of abuses are carried out globally by the US corporation. It is with a heavy heart that i recall John Africa and all the other brave wrriors who stood for a cause in the face of annhiltion by an anti-human corporation called the United States of America.