The original headquarters of MOVE….

…were located in the Powelton Village section of West Philadelphia at 307-309 N 33rd Street between Powelton Ave and Pearl Street. Beginning in 1972, John Africa, who lived in Powelton Village, began to recruit members into The MOVE organization beyond his family members from the Powelton Village community. On any given day, MOVE members could be seen around the neighborhood walking dogs, riding bikes, washing cars, running West River Drive, and exercising on the porch. Though The Old Days at Powelton Village began as a “relatively peaceful” time, this changed once MOVE activism began to threaten the status quo. MOVE members were arrested hundreds of times and were frequently subjected to police brutality and excessive jail terms, which exacerbated racial tensions between MOVE, Black Philadelphians, and police commissioner turned mayor, Frank Rizzo. This era culminated with the August 8, 1978 police attack on MOVE, which resulted in the imprisonment of The MOVE 9.