When June (formerly Pixie) and my wife, Maiga, started messaging in March, the conversation developed rapidly. It was the first time Maiga or I had been completely honest with someone in MOVE about how we’d come to view MOVE as a cult. It was also the first time June had shared many of her stories about the horrors she’d endured as a child in MOVE. When June found out that I was participating in the “Murder at Ryan’s Run” podcast she was scared for my family. She reported that, in the past few years, as Bert and Ria had lost power they were talking about M-1 more frequently, and insinuating potential violence against those whom they’d deemed traitors.
When the MOVE 9 started coming home, power within MOVE fractured. It became obvious to many of us that Bert and Ria had never intended for the MOVE 9 to get out of prison at all. Mike Africa Jr. was pivotal in pushing for the release of the MOVE 9, and Bert and Ria turned on him and his parents for actually working towards freedom. Those within MOVE who had sympathy for Mike Jr. were seen as disloyal to Bert and Ria. The absurdity of a group who had publicly claimed to fight for the release of the MOVE 9 for four decades turning on other members for actually trying to make that happen was just too much. Fractures and distrust within MOVE became more severe and Bert and Ria were losing power and control over internal narratives.
June worried that in this climate that Bert and Ria may respond to my speaking out with violence. I pointed out that Lori and Tony Allen had not been physically harmed when they left MOVE and started speaking out in 2004. June countered that Ria and Bert had not lost control over the group at that point. She reiterated that they’d been talking about M-1 (the underground, military faction of MOVE) with increasing frequency, that they were rapidly losing touch with reality, and were capable of absolutely anything. This was disconcerting to hear, and definitely made Maiga and I pause and evaluate the position we were taking. I felt strongly about speaking out about what I knew about the campaign of character assassination against John Gilbride that preceded his murder. I also took June’s concerns very seriously.
The next day June let us know that she wanted to record everything she knew for the “Murder at Ryan’s Run” podcast. She decided that exposing the abuse of children within MOVE may give her the needed exposure to escape MOVE with her own children. She’d attempted to leave MOVE with her children on other occasions and Alberta had threatened her with murder if she ever tried again. She was told that she could leave, provided she never opened her mouth, but that her children belonged to MOVE. Now that June had decided to speak out our fates were intertwined and we began the process of planning the safest escape with the most possible exposure. We began reaching out to others within MOVE who might be ready to take the same steps. We had to be careful not to reveal too much, or to trust the wrong person. Such a misstep could be fatal, especially for June. Whit and Josh soon joined in on the plan and a date was set.
The three and a half months from when Maiga and I began communicating with June until I launched this blog were the most stressful months I hope that I ever live through. They were a hundredfold more stressful for June, Josh, and Whit. I vividly remember a night in April when I was up late preparing documents for this blog. I'd also been messaging back and forth with June as she was telling me more about the specific threats Alberta had made against her. As I walked up the stairs to bed around 1 a.m. all of the power in our house went out. I had an intense panic attack and froze in place. I had difficulty breathing and tunnel vision. I feared that when I went into my basement to check the circuit breaker that I’d be shot in the head by a member of M-1 trying to prevent what June had revealed about the inner workings of MOVE from becoming public. It turned out that all of the power had gone out on our whole block.
This may seem paranoid, but in the previous weeks I’d learned that June had been threatened with death on numerous occasions, as had other MOVE members. We were also spending a great deal of time discussing the murder of John Gilbride. June voiced concerns I’d already considered, that MOVE had contacts in law enforcement who were in cahoots in some way. To someone who buys MOVE’s official narrative of being at war with “the system” this would seem crazy, but when you understand what MOVE actually is it seems much more reasonable. When you look at the fact that MOVE has gotten away with child abuse, sex crimes, forced marriages, financial crimes, and likely a few murders its easy to believe that there might be people in law enforcement who allow this to continue. This could be because of the mandate MOVE gained as a result of the tragedy of May 13th, 1985, but June had been told for her entire life that MOVE had members of M-1 working in law enforcement who ensured that MOVE would be protected. Is there any possibility this was true, or was this just another lie told to children in MOVE to keep them from speaking about their experiences?
When information about the inner workings of MOVE started being released on the “Murder at Ryan’s Run” podcast and on this blog in late June/early July I expected it to get much more attention than it did. Considering all of the positive attention MOVE had received in mainstream media in the previous year I hoped that more journalists would take interest in the story and start digging. I felt that this would provide an added level of protection for June, Josh, and Whit, and Maria, Salina, Sara, and Rain who followed soon after. But I understand how difficult this story is to tell, and how it cuts so sharply against a narrative that would be so much more convenient, if only it were true. The survivors of MOVE, though, are owed so much more.
First, I would like more people to understand how truly incredible they are; to recognize how much they put on the line to protect their children, their younger siblings, and to heal themselves. I’ve spent 14 years studying cults, and what they’ve done just doesn’t happen. I’ve never heard of another time when people who were raised in a cult left in such a united front despite believing that they could be killed for doing so. Cults specialize in keeping people isolated and scared. The events that have occurred during this MOVE reckoning are far from the norm and will hopefully serve as an example for others leaving similar groups.
The other thing that's so incredible about Josh, Whit, June, Maria, Sara, Salina, Rain, and many who have privately left MOVE, is how empathetic and compassionate they are despite the torture they’ve endured. The first time I talked to Josh he said that he’d be willing to do whatever he needed to do to protect June. Whit is one of the kindest, gentlest people I’ve ever had the honor to know. All of them are brilliant, witty, strong, or courageous in their own ways. When you really understand the physical and psychological torture they’ve endured their psychological survival is miraculous, and they deserve to be celebrated for that.
Second, I hope the journalists will do a far better job of reporting on MOVE in the future. Reporting on MOVE in the ‘70s and ‘80s was likely more accurate, but was often so infected by the racism and prejudice of its day that it played directly into MOVE’s claims about media bias. Early reporting on MOVE often discredited itself by caricaturing MOVE and glorifying the police. As the winds of public opinion have shifted, reporting on MOVE in the last year has largely painted MOVE as heroic, and many media outlets have adopted the MOVE narrative whole cloth. Neither view of MOVE is correct and both equally obscure the realities of life for children born into the group. It’s my hope that journalists, historians, and documentarians become much more careful in telling the story of MOVE, and that the experiences of children born into MOVE are always included in their narratives.
Third, I hope that Ria and Alberta, and all of those who assisted them, will be held responsible for their crimes against the children born in MOVE, the Gilbride family, and anyone else who they’ve harmed in their desires for power and money. It’s telling that in the nearly four months since this has gone public they haven't publicly uttered a word. They’re silent in an attempt to protect themselves. Now that MOVE members are speaking out publicly they have no idea when the next shoe may drop and I’d guess they’re hoping that if they stay quiet this may all eventually blow over.
Fourth, I hope that first generation MOVE members decide to publicly disclose what they know about the fifty years of secrets within MOVE. What’s been disclosed thus far by second and third generation MOVE members is just a small fraction of what’s been hidden. The survivors who've come forward so far have stated the following:
We’re also asking other current and former MOVE members to speak out about the real history of MOVE in order to protect June, Josh, Whit, Salina, Sara, Maria, Rain, and many others who have suffered as a result of being born into MOVE. We recognize that many MOVE members will be uncomfortable with inner circle knowledge being revealed publicly. However, continuing to promote the romanticized past of MOVE creates the conditions that allow for the ongoing suffering of many who were born into MOVE, as well as other victims of MOVE such as the Gilbride family.
We are calling on MOVE members of good conscience to begin to tell the truth about MOVE history, including the events that led up to the 1978 and 1985 confrontations, the treatment of children, and any information related to the harassment and/or murder of John Gilbride.
This and so much more is owed to the children who were born into MOVE. They deserve to be given the truth, and the support and space to heal. I have no idea where, if anywhere, all of this will go from here. I’m grateful to have been included in this important work and plan to continue to push for support for the survivors and justice for the Gilbride family. I hope that in the coming months more of the truth will be revealed, that the action of the MOVE survivors will be given the recognition it’s due, and that their courageous example will inspire others seeking freedom from similar groups. The survivors of MOVE have demonstrated that incredible things are possible when truth and solidarity are prioritized. Now I hope that they get all that they deserve.
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