← Evidence Library

Primary document

MOVE: The Bombing of Osage Avenue

Temple University Libraries

Where this source supports the record

Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.

  1. Political unrest · 13 May 1985

    The 1985 MOVE Bombing

    Osage Avenue MOVE bombing and fire area · United States

    Open article references →
    Why editors use it here

    Local photographs, news footage, oral histories, documents, and neighborhood record.

    1. Quick read

      On 13 May 1985, Philadelphia police tried to evict and arrest members of MOVE from a fortified rowhouse on Osage Avenue.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    2. Trigger and conditions

      Police evacuated neighbors, demanded surrender, then fired thousands of rounds after a firefight began.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    3. Uncertainty

      The eleven deaths and sixty-one destroyed homes are established.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    4. Why it matters

      The bombing is an extreme case of a government using military-style force against an occupied home and accepting neighborhood-wide fire as a tactical tool.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026