NCJ Number
111709
Date Published
1988
Length
161 pages
Annotation
This text describes and analyzes the confrontation and conflicts between members of MOVE, a radical activist counterculture organization, and the City of Philadelphia that culminated in a 1985 standoff with police that left 11 MOVE members, including 6 children dead, and caused a fire that left 250 homeless.
Abstract
The philosophy, organization, and attitudes of MOVE's members are described. The escalation of conflict between MOVE and neighbors, police, courts, and public officials is traced from MOVE's inception, through the 1978 shooting of a police officer and subsequent trial of MOVE members, to the 1985 disaster. An analysis is presented of the various conflict resolution efforts undertaken by neighborhood groups, outside individuals, and organizations during this period, including last-minute attempts by the Crisis Intervention Network. Focus is on the perceptions and misperceptions of the parties involved, the characteristics of third-party mediators, the approaches and processes used, and the strategies and tactics applied. Factors that contributed to the successes and failures of these efforts are analyzed, with particular emphasis on the need for independent third-party intermediary intervention. The prospects for post-1985 relationships between MOVE and the city are discussed, and general lessons to be learned about conflict and the nature and viability of various conflict resolution mechanisms are explored. Photographs, index, and 55 references.