As more develops, I'm going to try to archive some of the events in this blog.
Yesterday, a new podcast was released, Aishah Shahidah Simmons released a survivor solidarity piece, and Maria began fundraising to relocate.
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Please help Maria Hardy start a new life after MOVE:
Maria Hardy is also in need of funds in order to move out of the Philadelphia area. Please help her to move so that she can start a life of her choosing. Now that Maria has publicly spoken out about the abuse of her upbringing in MOVE, living in Philly is increasingly difficult and she has very legitimate concerns for her safety. Maria is only seeking $6,000 so that she can resettle. I'm hoping that we can raise that in a few days and continue the sustained support that June (Pixie) needs in order to stay in hiding with her children. You can also donate to Maria on Venmo at @Maria-Hardy-5@
Donate to Maria on GoFundMe here
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Please read this incredibly important article by Aishah Shahidah Simmons. Her love and empathy for the MOVE survivors shines brightly through, and her writing provides an incredibly valuable critical lens. Please share this piece widely. I plan to keep writing as things unfold, but I would be very happy if my writing was one of many perspectives trying to understand how we arrived here and offering concrete support to the survivors.
In Survivor Solidarity: I BELIEVE June, Maria, Josh, Michelle-Whit, Salina, and Sara
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Yesterday's episode of Murder at Ryan's Run is helpful for understanding the origins of this podcast series. Many have asked, "how did a podcast that was originally going to focus on the history of MOVE change its focus to the murder of John Gilbride?" It also explains how in process of investigating the murder, relationships were built that allowed victims of abuse come forward, and the podcast also became a vehicle to protect those victims by publicly highlighting their stories. This is a long, complex, and tangled story, but today's episode goes a long way towards clarifying the starting point.
Also, the experience of Andino Ward, the father of Birdie Africa/Michael Moses Ward, fits in with a long pattern of fathers being forcefully separated from their children within MOVE. Andino was threatened with death if he continued trying to find his son. There are striking similarities between that of Andino Ward and John Gilbride. In the next few days, I'll be doing a commentary on the episode and making some of these connections more explicit.
Listen to the episode here:
Murder at Ryan's Run, Episode 2: A is for Anarchism
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