A contingency of MOVE members, their children, sympathizers, a human rights lawyer from Barcelona, Spain and supporters set up camp outside of the District Attorney's office located at 15th & Arch Street last week. They chose the hottest and busiest time of day (12 noon) to hold a demonstration acknowledging the 27th anniversary of the August 8, 1978 imprisonment of the MOVE-9.  Ramona Africa, the Minister of Communications and the sole adult survivor of the 1985 confrontation on Osage Avenue, said that the group decided to hold the conference on the steps of the DA's office for a particular reason.
 
    "We are holding this press conference in front of Lynne Abraham's office, because we intend to target her criminal (expletive). This woman is responsible and is involved in both police attacks against the MOVE organization. In 1977 she signed fraudulent warrants against MOVE that ultimately led to the 1978 police attack on my family. We have not forgotten that and we are not going to let her forget that.  In 1985 this woman on a Saturday, on a weekend at her home, signed fraudulent warrants that led to the bombing of MOVE.  We're not forgetting that and we are not going to let her forget that. This woman did nothing about the murder, the burning of MOVE babies, men, women and animals, but at the same time she has our innocent family members sitting in jail.  Merle Africa was killed in prison after being held there innocent for 20 years. We are not going to let Lynne Abraham forget that," Ramona Africa said.



Africa went on to say that MOVE intends to turn up the heat on Abraham, exposing her at every turn. Ramona pulled from the sea of MOVE children a preschool aged child whom she described as the grandson of two incarcerated members of the MOVE-9. She said that the child had never seen his grandparents outside of a prison visit. This Africa confessed is an attack on the family unit. She said that the long termed incarceration of MOVE members is impacting poorly on their innocent families.
 
"This has to come to an end," Africa said. "We intend to up the pressure on this woman."

Several other MOVE members took the bullhorn hurling demands at an unseen Abraham.  A stringent cadre of civil affairs and police officers lined the steps of the building and just as the conference was about to end an unidentified civil affairs officer was overheard stating that the MOVE brought both confrontation on themselves.  This set into motion what turned out to be a 40-minute verbal lashing from the MOVE organization (reminiscent of their early days) on the psyche's of the officers. The group challenged the officers to see the similarity between their professions and that of firefighters and the military.

"You all think that you are so superior. You think that your boss cares about you, but you are dispensable.  When Lynne Abraham sends you on your next mission and puts your life on the line and you all get shot by a sniper, are ya'll bringing that on yourself?  When the soldiers get blown to bits in Iraq, because their government put their lives in the line of fire are they bringing that on themselves? How can you stand up there and feel that about men and women who are in a foreign country fighting and dying for you? That's some kind of gratitude," Mike Africa said. Africa who was born in prison is the product of two of the MOVE-9.  

Africa challenged the officers to see the "dark side" of their profession. He told them that there is nothing honorable about patrolling a community, with guns, beating up, jailing and killing unarmed innocent people?  He asked the officers to remember the firefighters who slept outside of the Mayor's office to draw attention to their medical issues.  Carlos Africa reiterated what Mike said emphasizing the fact that the US military has injured thousands of soldiers in wars and refused to mend their broken bodies, minds and lives. He reminded the officers about Agent Orange in Vietnam, the radioactive dust in Desert Storm and the Delayed Stress Syndrome suffered by former soldiers.

"What makes you think that you are any different? I know a lot of former police officers that were injured in the so-called line of duty and they are very unhappy with the F.O.P (Fraternal Order of Police) and you all know it's the truth. You were smirking at us just a few minutes ago, but now where are the smiles? They're gone, because you know that what we are saying is true," Africa said.

An unidentified MOVE member cautioned the officers to remember Charles Geist and Terrance Mulhill, two of the police officers involved in the brutal beating of Delbert Africa of August 8, 1978. Geist she said was a crazy (expletive) who paraded naked in front of his in-laws at home, and terrorized his children. She said that Charles Geist was not an honorable person but, beat his wife Carolyn so badly that she reported him to Abraham and got a restraining order against him.

"Carolyn Geist got so tired of this depraved, sick (expletive) that she killed that (expletive) she killed her own husband. Terrance Mulhill was so (expletive) that he killed his (expletive) self," the MOVE member said.

Ramona summed it up by telling the police officers that they had a lot of soul searching to do.

"We came out her for Lynne Abraham, we would have never said a word to ya'll if that (expletive) right there had not come out here with that smile on his face ya'll didn't make that comment. Ain't nothing funny about burning babies to death or unjustly locking up people who are innocent."

The conference attracted several people taking their lunch break, but Abraham was a no show. If she heard what MOVE said, or if she was even in the building no one knows, but MOVE vows that they will return. They said that they would not allow Lynne Abraham to walk around the city like she is "respectable or honest."  MOVE said that they intend to do whatever it takes to prevent her from reentering office for another term.

"We are committed to doing this," Ramona Africa said  "This woman is planning on running for another term and we want her to know that we will be there at every turn. This is not a MOVE problem. This is a problem of injustice that affects us ALL.  Officials have no respect for the very people that elect them and who pay their salaries. We the people have to make them respect us, through our actions and through our work. Words and feelings are not enough, only action moves this system."

For more information about the MOVE organization and their upcoming plans send e-mails to onamovellja@aol.com.

August 8, 2005