A message for MOVE on the anniversary of the May 13, 1985, bombing. On behalf of the Central Committee of the New Afrikan Black Panther Party, we want to say: All power to the people, to all of you attending the 30th anniversary of the May 13, 1985, bombing of our MOVE brothers and sisters. We also want to specifically thank comrade sisters Ramona and Pam Africa for allowing our voices to be added to this remarkable gathering of revolutionaries; Chuck, Debbie, Delbert, Eddie, Janet, Janine, Phil, Michael. In 1978, the racist pigs invaded the oppressed community of Philadelphia, surrounded the house of MOVE, let off hundreds of rounds of bullets, intending to kill everything alive, human and animal.And in their excitement, the pigs killed one of their own, and with the racist court declaring they do not know who killed the racist pig, yet they; Chuck, Debbie, Delbert, Eddie, Janet, Janine, Phil, and Michael were given 30 to 100 years in prison, becoming the MOVE Nine.
When the racist court system was moving against our MOVE comrades in 1978, no established reporter would dare talk with MOVE to get to the truth. Instead, they simply repeated what the Philadelphia political power structure wanted the people to know. But one of our own emerged out of the shadows, a Black cat, a big Black cat, a Black Panther journalist by the name of Mumia Abu-Jamal. He told the world that the racist government wanted to exterminate the MOVE family, that MOVE members are servants of the people, that they are innocent of any wrongdoing. What did the Judge Sabo say? He said that we must “fry the ni$$r.” And he meant every word of this. They put Mumia in jail for 30 years — 30 years on death row. Yet, it was the power of the people that removed him, proving that Panther adage that: The people are certainly capable of anything, including miracles.
When a repressive state dropped their bomb on MOVE in 1985, killing man, women, and child, the purpose was to wipe MOVE out as a revolutionary organization. The 11 brothers and sisters that perished in that inferno, the repressive state wanted them dead. It was no mistake, no bad cop going rogue. The whole western power structure are responsible for that massacre. How many of you saw the picture of comrade sister, Ramona Africa, emerging out of that inferno with the little brother? Didn’t she look bad? Revolutionary bad like Yaa Asantewaa. Bad like Harriet Tubman. Bad like Kathleen Cleaver. Bad like Assata Shakur. Bad like Johanna Fernández , the very embodiment of a strong Black woman: cool, calm, and collected, defiant and courageous. That’s comrade sister Ramona Africa. For some time, Obamaism pacified the Black, or Brown, or poor white oppressed communities.
But that has all ended now, thankfully, with the true face of oppressive state power being shown in Ferguson, with pigs violently gunning down a Mike Brown and choking brother Eric Garner; with the emergence of the Black Lives movement. It’s a beautiful thing not to fear and respect capitalism, imperialism and its repressive state. We say the New Afrikan Black Panther Party stand with Ramona and Pam Africa, demand the release of MOVE Nine and all political prisoners. Dare to struggle. Dare to win. Panther love. All power to the people. This is Chairman Shaka Zulu.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
