❤️‍🩹 Why did Philly bomb its own residents?

⭐ Philly To Earn Some Michelin Stars

Michelin (yes, the same as the tire company) is putting our restaurant scene on the map as its guide expands to the city. Tourism boards vie to be included in its guidebooks famous for the three-star rating system, but is it all that it’s cracked up to be? [Eater, 🔒 Philly Mag]

🌳 Schuylkill River Trail Expands to Grays Ferry

Ready to hit the trails? This week walkers and bikers will be able to travel down a new extension of the Schuylkill River Trail, connecting Christian Street with the Grays Ferry Crescent. A decade in the making, the trail officially opens Saturday as part of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile path from Maine to Florida. [WHYY]

🤍 Socially-Conscious Philly Rapper Killed in Robbery

The city is mourning the loss of Qidere Johnson, a.k.a. LGP Qua, a local rapper who called himself the “voice of the youth” and used his lyrics to draw attention to violence, poverty, and other struggles in Philadelphia. The independent artist worked with rappers such as French Montana. Police say Johnson and a friend were ambushed by two men on Sunday who were attempting to steal Johnson’s gold chains. [🔒 The Inquirer]

Philadelphia was changed forever when police dropped a bomb on the MOVE home in West Philadelphia on May 13, 1985. What led to this?

1972

West Philadelphia resident Vincent Leaphart, now known as John Africa, compiles his back-to-nature ideologies into a book. "The Guidelines" work as the founding principles for his group, The Christian Movement for Life, which would later become known as MOVE. The group’s anti-establishment and anti-technology beliefs include a right to self-defense and a diet of raw food.

1974

MOVE acquires a home in Powelton Village as its base of operations. The group stages protests against things they consider against the natural laws of life – from pet stores to the Philadelphia Zoo. The activity causes tension with neighbors who may support some of the ethos but have issues with MOVE’s trash, pests, and profanity-laced demonstrations. Philadelphia Police begin to clash with MOVE.

1976

Amid a confrontation between Philadelphia Police and MOVE, members claim a baby was killed. Because there is no birth certificate documenting the child, the city counters that the child did not exist and demands the body to conduct an autopsy. The death of Life Africa further radicalizes the group.

1978

After months of refusing to relocate, Mayor Frank Rizzo obtains a court order to enact a starvation blockade, in which the city blocks utilities like water service. Philadelphia Police and MOVE then engage in a shootout on August 8. An officer is killed and nine members, later known as the MOVE Nine, are sentenced to as many as 100 years in prison. Demanding the release of these individuals would become the main focus for MOVE.

1982

MOVE relocates to 6221 Osage Avenue after years of tension at its home on North 33rd Street.

1985

On May 13, 1985, Philadelphia Police direct neighbors to leave their homes for the day so MOVE could be evicted. Police shoot into the rowhome, with 10,000 bullets fired in the span of 90 minutes. When that fails to lure the group, Philadelphia Police drop a bomb on Osage Avenue home and firefighters do not initially put out the fire, letting it spread across the neighborhood. Eleven people, including five children, are killed, and over 60 homes were destroyed. Only two people survive.

A little over a week after the bombing, Mayor Wilson Goode appoints an independent commission to investigate the events leading up to the tragedy. The Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission collects evidence and interviews to present in televised public hearings over the course of five weeks.