MOVE TELLS STATE, "HANDS OFF"
By Betsey Piette
Philadelphia
September 25, 2002--The MOVE organization has taken the offensive to stave off a threatened police assault. The danger of state intervention followed a judge's decision affecting the custody case of a member's child.
The Philadelphia Police and political establishment have carried out many physical assaults on MOVE, a Black-led radical group, including the notorious May 1985 bombing from helicopters that killed five children and six adults.
After a Sept. 20 news conference at their West Philadelphia home, MOVE members and supporters traveled in a motorcade to New Jersey. They put the Philadelphia and Cherry Hill police departments on notice that MOVE would resist any attempts by police to remove Alberta Africa's son Zachary from their home.
In May, after three years of extensive investigation, Family Court Judge Edward Rosenberg had ruled that Africa's ex- husband John Gilbride could share legal custody of their son, but would only be allowed restricted supervised visits at the Family Court facility.
Rosenberg retired before his ruling could be fully implemented. In August, Judge Shelley Robbins New reversed Rosenberg's decision by allowing Gilbride to take the child out of the home for unsupervised weekend visits.
When Africa refused to turn over her child, Robbins New issued a warrant against her that was due to be carried out by the Cherry Hill police on Sept. 20.
Robbins New served in the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office for over 25 years, including when MOVE members were on trial for frame-up charges. Following her ruling in the custody case, Robbins New was transferred to a criminal court.
MOVE spokesperson Ramona Africa told Workers World: "This is no simple child custody case. John Gilbride never showed up to try to take his son on Friday, but the threat from the state is not over."
What should have been a legal matter between estranged parents has turned into a pretext for another intervention by the repressive Philadelphia state apparatus against MOVE.
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