On May 13, 1985, the Philadelphia police department mounted an assault against a group of black revolutionaries, calling themselves MOVE, who were barricaded inside a townhouse in the Powelton Village neighborhood of west Philly. For months the group had been cursing out neighbors through a bullhorn, threatening them and the police, and members had erected two bunkers on the roof of the house, equipped with gun turrets, that gave them a commanding tactical position over the street. Police and MOVE members exchanged fire throughout the day, and just after 5 PM a police helicoper dropped a bomb on the roof, ostensibly to create a distraction for a teargas attack. But after it detonated, the house was gradually engulfed in smoke and flames. Mayor Wilson Goode (who was black) explained later that he approved the plan to let the fire smoke out the MOVE members, but by the time it was extinguished six adults and five children were dead and more than 60 homes in the neighborhood were destroyed.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Directed by Jason Osder Fri-Thu 10/18-10/31 Gene Siskel Film Center 164 N. State 312-846-2800siskelfilmcenter.org $11.
