Twenty Years Later, the Philadelphia MOVE Case is Settled

Two decades after police ordered the bombing of the home of the radical group MOVE, which demolished an entire city block, a federal jury awarded 24 West Philadelphia residents $12.8 million in damages. What the jury’s decision means is that the city must pay $530,000 to each of the plaintiffs, who have been tussling for decades over their compensation for the bombing, which resulted in 11 deaths and the destruction of 61 Black-owned row houses. After spending $16 million for repairs, in 2000 the city offered $150,000 – roughly three times the market value – for each home, plus moving expenses. Thirty-seven homeowners accepted the deal, but another 24 families refused it, enlisting the help of attorneys, arguing that their homes and lives were worth more than that. “Thank the Lord; our day of deliverance has come,” plaintiff Betty Mapp told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It took 20 years, and now it’s over with the City of Philadelphia.” The seven-member jury found the city and Mayor John F. Street liable for $1.25 million in damages for reckless disregard for the rights of the homeowners, $960,000 for conspiracy to harm, and $2.4 million for breach of contract for the promised repairs and emotional distress. The plaintiffs sued on the grounds that Street broke the promises of former mayors, W. Wilson Goode ,who rebuilt the block, and Ed Rendell, who promised to continue repair on the homes. Mayor Street allegedly told homeowners that the city could use the power of eminent domain to seize their property if they did not accept the buyout. [more] and [more]