Sunday, September 5, 2021

"My Truth" Versus the Truth by Salina Robbins

The following was written by Salina Robbins, known in MOVE as Lina Africa. Salina is the daughter of Whit Simms, the niece of Mike Africa Jr., and the granddaughter of Mike Africa Sr. and Debbie Africa. 

The statements below were posted by Salina on Facebook. Both posts make important points that are worth preserving here. 

This first statement was posted on 8/29/2020 along with this blog post. 

Pay close attention to the way that people speak and the words they use. When people say I’m going to tell “My truth” but not THE truth they are telling stories to control a narrative. This is very calculating, but for what reason? Is it that they want to continue to promote a brand, sell merchandise such as T-shirts, books, subscriptions. Chase fame perhaps? We’ve heard the “GOOD” for 50+ years. So many people have been abused, exploited, lied to, and taken advantage of for an agenda that has nothing to do with black liberation, animal rights, human rights, or revolution.

If you have ever been to a demonstration, endorsed, promoted, purchased merchandise, extended your network, donated time, resources, or money to MOVE, Then you too are entitled to full transparency and total honesty.
A special thanks to Jason Nark from the Philadelphia Inquirer for taking the time to hear the truth and for asking the difficult questions.

The second statement was posted on 8/30/2021 along with this podcast episode.

Please listen to this episode with both care and attention.
Knowing what we went through as the 3rd generation my heart and soul is deeply saddened by what the 2nd generation was forced to endure. As I listen while sobbing, I wonder what kind of Mother wouldn’t want answers for their children’s father who was murdered.
I hope that Zack gets the truth and transparency he deserves.

Saturday, September 4, 2021

Kevin Price interviewed on "Failed State Update" Podcast

Here's an interview I did with Joseph Flatley for his podcast "Failed State Update." This is likely the first of three episodes. This first episode focuses on my understanding of the history of MOVE after 20 years as a close supporter, and a lot of research and reading primary source documents from the '70s and '80s. The second episode will likely focus on my experiences as a close MOVE supporter and my long journey to leave MOVE. The third episode will likely go into detail about the abuse within MOVE, the survivors who are coming forward, the murder of John Gilbride, and many of the other topics we've been focusing on here on the blog.

In the title of this interview, and the interview I did with cult expert, Steve Hassan, I'm referred to as "former MOVE member, Kevin Price." I never claimed to have been a MOVE member in either of these interviews, but due to the level of dedication and investment I had in the group, this seems to be a natural assumption. I've already written a post that addresses the fact that member and supporter status in the group is used as a power game and means of control. I clarify in both interviews that within MOVE I was not considered a member, but because the distinction between member and close supporter is a tough distinction to make in the title of a podcast I decided to let it stay as it was.


Survivors Rain, Whit, and Maria on "Evening WURDs with Nick Taliaferro" (3 episodes)

On Monday, August 30th Rain Robbins and Whit Sims were on "Evening WURDs with Nick Taliaferro" on WURD 900 AM in Philadelphia. They did a phenomenal job speaking about their experiences in MOVE and what leaving MOVE has meant for them. They, and the other survivors who were born in MOVE, continue to demonstrate strength, bravery, and empathy that is truly humbling. Much respect to Nick Taliaferro for the compassion and sensitivity with which he approaches this interview. The whole show is well worth watching or listening to. The interview with Whit and Rain begins around the one-hour and 27-minute mark and you can listen to it here.

The next day Rain Robbins returned with Maria Hardy and they continued and expanded the conversation. That conversation also starts around the one-hour and 27-minute mark and you can listen to it here. 

On day three Whit Sims and Rain Robbins returned to the show. In this episode, Whit goes into more detail about what life was like for her at the Osage Ave. MOVE headquarters in the years leading up to the bombing. This interview also starts around the one-hour and 27-minute mark and you can listen to it here. 



MOVE's Letter to the Gilbride Family - August of 1999

This is a letter that was sent by MOVE to the Gilbride family in August of 1999. I'm primarily posting these documents here so that they're preserved for future researchers of MOVE. If the Gilbride family hadn't saved these documents and passed them along to the team at the Murder at Ruan's Run podcast then they would have been lost and would not be part of the historical record. There are many documents like this from the '70s and '80s that are not widely available and this has allowed researchers of MOVE to largely ignore the elements of MOVE which involve cult control, terroristic threats, and intimidation. One of the missions of this blog is to make documents such as this public, and after the events of the custody case have been covered we will begin posting MOVE documents from the '70s and '80s that were previously unavailable outside of the inner circle of MOVE members. 

In this letter, it's notable that the author of the letter (the handwriting appears to be Ria's) acts as if they are writing the letter to protect Alberta, and that Alberta is actually more sensitive and softer, and more forgiving than other MOVE members. This is a recurring pattern throughout MOVE. Up until recently, Alberta controlled nearly everything, with Ria as her second in command, but Alberta often had others pretend that they were actually the force behind the strategy. Alberta and Ria brilliantly play good cop/bad cop with Ria pretending to be the enforcer and Alberta pretending to be more reasonable. Reading through this document over 20 years later it's shocking to see how much Alberta was projecting her own compulsions as a controlling and abusive parent onto the Gilbride family. 










Tuesday, August 31, 2021

The Custody Case Trial Transcript and Notes on Ep. 7 of "Murder at Ryan's Run"- "Gilbride v. Gilbride"

Yesterday's episode of Murder at Ryan's Run was packed with a lot of important information that I'm going to spend time unpacking here throughout the next week. One of the most important developments is that the Murder at Ryan's Run team has posted the trial transcripts for the custody battle that preceded the murder of John Gilbride. This is a long document, over 500 pages, and it reveals much about the structure of MOVE and the hold that Alberta had on members. It's important to point out that if supporters, like myself, had known many of the things that Alberta openly admitted in court then we would have likely stopped being MOVE supporters. The only people who were allowed in the courtroom to testify and to hear testimony were either born into MOVE, or had children in MOVE, and therefore it would have been much more difficult for them to rebel against Alberta or to leave. 

In the coming week, I plan to go into more detail about all of these points, but the first detail that would have sent supporters running is that Alberta blames the harassment campaign against the Gilbride family, or it least one of its major events, on former MOVE supporter Tony Allen. Alberta claims that she didn't know the supporters well, and specifically that she didn't know Tony very well. Meanwhile, she and Ria had organized a group of MOVE supporters to protest in front of the courthouse that very day. The claim that Tony organized the demonstration without Bert and Ria asking him to is also ridiculous, as nothing happened in that custody case without Alberta's sanction. 

Alberta also admits in open court that Zack was conceived through In Vitro fertilization. I personally have no problem with this, the problem is that Alberta lied about this fact constantly. She frequently talked about how conceiving Zack in her late 40s was a miracle of John Africa. Also, MOVE is opposed to unnecessary (and often necessary) medical intervention. Young girls, like June, were forcefully denied medical care during difficult childbirths (at 13 years old). Alberta also often claimed that John was a deadbeat who never supported her or Zack, but one of the main reasons for John's financial difficulties was paying for her medical care, and later for fighting for custody. In the episode, Mario Hardy also states that Alberta intentionally sought out a white egg donor so that she would have a white child. I've heard this supported by many in MOVE. This fits in line with Alberta's white supremacist views and the internal racism that is rampant in MOVE. I'll be writing more about this soon. 

The trial transcripts are long, and I plan to post some important pages here for analysis. There's much more in these documents than can be given proper attention in one blog post or podcast episode. 





I






Sunday, August 29, 2021

Media Update: Front Page of the Philly Inquirer and Coverage from Cult Expert, Steven Hassan

Today's Philadelphia Inquirer featured a front-page article by Jason Nark which connects the survivors, the murder of John Gilbride, this blog, and the Murder at Ryan's Run podcast. The article first appeared on the Inquirer's website on Friday. It does an excellent job of introducing the material and making the connections between the survivors of abuse within MOVE and the murder of John Gilbride. There's so much material to explore here, and MOVE is so wildly misunderstood, that I'm hoping that this can be the start of a series of articles delving deeper into the abuse within MOVE and the unsolved murder of John Gilbride, the ex-husband of MOVE's leader, Alberta Africa. There's much more to be done to get justice for the children born in MOVE, the Gilbride family, and many others. 

Reading the article I'm moved by the bravery, eloquence, and grace of Josh, Maria, Rain, and Salina. All of those who were born into MOVE and have come forward; June, Whit, Josh, Maria, Salina, Sara, Rain (and others who aren't public), have exhibited unimaginable strength, courage, and empathy, and I'm humbled to be working alongside them. It's hard to overstate how big and difficult it is to do what they're doing. They've all risked so much in order to stop this cycle of abuse from continuing. They've risked and suffered estrangement from family members that they love dearly, they have been publicly vulnerable while processing deep traumas, and they did all of this knowing that it would be politically complicated for many to respond to them with the love and support that they truly deserve. I hope that this article will broaden their base of support. Please spread the word, and if you're able please donate to June's GoFundMe. 



In the beginning of July, I was interviewed by cult expert, Steven Hassan. Dr. Hassan is one of the foremost experts on cults and has been working for over thirty years to help people who want help leaving authoritarian groups. I contacted Dr. Hassan in late 2007 or early 2008 when I was first intellectually breaking from MOVE. I secretly read his book Releasing the Bonds in Barnes and Noble and then returned it to the shelf. I was terrified of being caught with the book. When I left the store I called Dr. Hassan's office from the parking lot and was shocked when he, and not a secretary, answered the call. He was kind enough to talk to me for an hour free of charge and helped me to wrap my head around what it would take to get out of MOVE with my marriage intact. 

I was pleased to be able to speak to Dr. Hassan again all of these years later. There are a few things I'd like to note. I'm aware that in the blog post he refers to me as a MOVE member, and that according to MOVE I was a supporter. He goes on to explain this deeper into his post, but I'd also like to clarify here. When most people hear the word supporter they think of someone who is only loosely affiliated and not someone like myself who gave all of my waking energy to the group, relied on leadership to make all of their decisions, and donated more than $50,000 to the group throughout my two decades of involvement. I have already written a post documenting how MOVE uses the categories of member and supporter as a control mechanism. When John Gilbride was murdered MOVE often emphasized that he was "just a supporter" despite the fact that he had been married to MOVE's leader, Alberta Africa, and had lived in MOVE's headquarters for a decade. It is for this reason that I was okay with the term "member" being used as long as it was clarified deeper in the blog post. 

If you happen to watch the video interview that the blog post is based on you will notice that I filmed the interview from a bathroom. I hope that this isn't too distracting (it's a bit embarrassing for me) but I was out of town when we recorded and this was the only room where I could be sure that my two-year-old daughter wouldn't unexpectedly join the interview. I'm very grateful to Dr. Hassan for his time. I hope that this interview can further the cause of getting justice for those who were born into MOVE as well as the Gilbride family. 



 

John Gilbride's Journals Reflecting on Alberta's Abuse - January of 1997

This document was referenced in the most recent episode of Murder at Ryan's Run, Episode 6: The Meetings. This is an entry that was found on John's computer after he was murdered. It's one of a few entries he makes reflecting on specific periods of abuse within MOVE. In this document, John talks about how Alberta frequently acted like everything was fine, and once he let his guard down her mood shifted abruptly as she put him in the hot seat. This is something I've witnessed firsthand on many occasions between Alberta and her current husband, Gary Wonderlin. Alberta often catches people off guard, when they are relaxed, and then uses their defensiveness as evidence that they must have been doing something wrong. The control methods that John documents Alberta using on him are also used by Alberta to control and intimidate children in MOVE. These documents from John are supported by the testimonies of June, Whit, Josh, Maria, Salina, Sara, Rain, and others who are coming forward. 

As Alberta begins the meeting on John she tells him that he's not appreciative enough of the work that other MOVE people are doing to help raise his son. Meanwhile, John had just worked a 16 hour day and was frequently working 80 hours a week to pay medical bills and to sustain Alberta's excessive lifestyle. He points out that he resented that she needed so much help caring for Zack as he was working round the clock at her demand while also waking at 3 am to feed Zack. This is a consistent pattern for Alberta. She constantly talks about how lazy other people are, and how they should work harder while doing very little herself. Over the years I spent a good deal of time at Alberta's Cherry Hill home and she spent the majority of her time sitting on her couch watching television. Ria and Bert always talked about how Bert was always tired from doing all of the "mental work" of the organization, but most of the time it just seemed like she was lazy. 

John mentions that he was told during the meeting that "my attitude towards Alberta was going to cause a situation that would involve my death." As is typical from a threat within MOVE, it was followed by the claim that it wasn't a threat and that his death would not happen at the hands of a MOVE member, but from a plane crash or illness as a result of karmic blowback (the MOVE term for this is that it would be the result of his violation). John fell asleep after the meeting ended at 3 am and was awakened two hours later, at 5 am when Alphonso Africa called him and told him he was on his way over to have a meeting on him with the other MOVE men. At this meeting, he was told that if he continued disrespecting Alberta that he was "done" and "finished." John was writing this reflection sometime in the year 2000. He would continue to receive thinly veiled death threats from MOVE members up until he was murdered in September of 2002. 





 

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

MOVE's Letter to US Airways: The Harassment and Intimidation Campaign Against John Gilbride

This document was referenced in the most recent episode of Murder at Ryan's Run, Episode 6: The Meetings. This is a letter sent by MOVE to US Airways in February of 2000 in an attempt to get John Gilbride fired from his job so that he could no longer fight for custody of his son. Alberta and Ria Africa also had MOVE members and supporters repeatedly call US Airways in attempts to get John fired. This was part of a harassment and intimidation campaign that lasted for years. 

Two very important quotes from this document have been highlighted on the first page: "We coming after John Gilbride with MOVE strategy and anybody that gets in our way, anybody that shields or tries to stand in the way between MOVE and this child abusing maniac, you had best reflect on the MOVE Organization's history" and "MOVE don't believe in violence but we do believe in self-defense. John Gilbride has threatened our sister and her child and MOVE is coming after his ass." This is immediately followed by the claim that "this isn't a threat." This is similar to the claim made in Ramona Africa's letter to Steven Spielberg. Issuing threats and immediately following the threat with the claim that it's not a threat is a consistent maneuver in the MOVE playbook going all the way back to the mid-1970s. 

In this letter, MOVE acknowledges that John lived in a MOVE house for ten years. At various points, high-ranking MOVE members have claimed that they didn't really know John and have acted as if he were a peripheral figure, but this statement acknowledges that that is untrue. Toward the end of the letter MOVE even uses John's involvement with MOVE as a reason that John should be fired. Their argument is essentially that US Air customers would be uncomfortable knowing that a man who was involved in a revolutionary group such as MOVE has access to the belly of the airplane. Below MOVE's letter to US Air, I've also posted a letter John wrote to his supervisors at US Air warning them that the custody case he was involved in may spill over into his work life, that he has no control over this, and that his estranged wife will likely try to destroy his livelihood. 

(Click on the images to magnify)







Tuesday, August 24, 2021

John Gilbride's Journals Reflecting on Alberta's Abuse - May of 1996

This document was referenced in the most recent episode of Murder at Ryan's Run, Episode 6: The Meetings. This is an entry that was found on John's computer after he was murdered. It's one of a few entries he makes reflecting on specific periods of abuse within MOVE. In this entry, John is documenting a "meeting" Alberta orchestrated against him on May 22nd, 1996. At the end of the document, John points out that Alberta had not called any meetings on him the entire time she had been pregnant when she was dependent on him. At that time she needed him to take her to doctor's appointments, deal with insurance paperwork, and pay for her expensive medicine. After Zack was born John was not needed in the same way. When John says that he wants to be a good father and take care of his son, Sue Africa says "I can do that, you're not needed!"

Toward the end of the second page, Alberta is recorded as saying "We'll all kick your ass right here and now. And I'll tell you something, if you don't pull yourself together you'll never see again. I'll take him and disappear and you'll never see him again. You know what, John, you really are a defected piece of shit." Because John left out a few words while typing this the meaning is open to interpretation. This may mean that Alberta is saying that if John doesn't fully submit to her then he will never be seen again. If this is the case then it matches perfectly with what June Stokes has reported that Alberta said to her on a number of occasions, that if she didn't get in line that she would be disappeared and her body would never be found. This interpretation is also supported by Alphonso Africa following up Alberta's statement by saying "We ain't playing no games with you John, we will finish you tonight if you don't start talking!" Because of the missing word, Alberta's statement could also be interpreted as saying that if John didn't submit to Alberta then John would never see his newborn son Zack again. In the next few days, I'll post and comment on one of John's other journal entries that documents how Alberta's abuse against John continued to intensify after Zack was born. 

(Click on the images to magnify)

 


Monday, August 23, 2021

Flier from the Harassment Campaign Against John Gilbride's Parents

This flier was referenced in the most recent episode of Murder at Ryan's Run, Episode 6: The Meetings.  It's one of many fliers that were distributed in the war of harassment and intimidation against John Gilbride. I've discussed other such fliers in two previous posts here and here. This is the front side of a double-sided flier. Unfortunately, the second side can't be found at this time (if anyone out there has it please send email it to leavingmove@gmail.com). I remember the backside of the flier fairly well. Whereas the front side claims that John's mother makes "incestuous overtures towards her son," the backside claimed that John's father had always been jealous of him and as a result had tried to get him killed on a number of occasions. According to MOVE, John's parents were encouraging his divorce from Alberta Africa because they hated him and wanted to destroy his life. MOVE also claimed at the same time that John had been a government agent since birth, that his father had been a government agent, and that John had been raised with the sole purpose of destroying MOVE. 

The backside of the flier closed with a quote from MOVE's Guidelines (scriptures) comparing the persecution of MOVE to that of Jewish people in Nazi Germany, and text following those Guidelines linked John filing for custody of his son to that campaign of persecution. This flier was distributed by me and about a dozen other MOVE supporters and members in the mailbox of every house in John's parents' neighborhood at the directive of Alberta and Ria Africa. MOVE members and supporters drove more than a hundred miles in order to distribute these fliers. The purpose of this fliering was to intimidate John's parents into ceasing to support John in his fight for custody of his son. As if the flier wasn't bad enough, when we returned to the neighborhood a few weeks later (again at the directive of Alberta and Ria Africa) we had protest signs that made all of the implicit (and false) allegations against John's parents explicit. In the next few days I'll be posting and expanding on many more of the documents that were referenced in the last podcast episode.  

(Click on the image to magnify)

Sunday, August 22, 2021

Statement from Food Not Bombs Solidarity Withdrawing their Endorsement of MOVE

The following statement is written by the Philly-based group Food Not Bombs Solidarity. Posting this statement on this blog does not mean that the members of Food Not Bombs Solidarity agree with all of the positions taken here. I'm posting this because I feel like it's an important document showing positive ways that radical communities are holding those in MOVE leadership accountable for abuse and lies. There are very good reasons that so many open-hearted people seeking justice have embraced MOVE and a great deal of deception has been involved in gaining such support. Hopefully, statements such as this one will be part of the process of healing and justice for those who have been victims of MOVE.

Released 8/19/2021

Food Not Bombs Solidarity (FNBS) withdraws our endorsement of MOVE.

This action is taken in the absence of any sincere attempts by current MOVE members to address and take accountability for the horrors that went on for decades in their organization. It is taken in support of MOVE survivors, some of whom have courageously jeopardized their safety to make public alarming accounts of abuse, intimidation, and bigotry.

Providing support to disadvantaged communities and political actions is central to our mission. In this case, our members feel lied to and used.

FNBS believes in restorative justice and looks forward to the day that those responsible for the abuses within MOVE begin the process of restorative justice by coming forward to admit their wrongs and knowledge of what was happening, apologizing, and taking transparent and decisive action to assure the abuses are stopped.


Wednesday, August 18, 2021

Some Questions for Alberta Africa by Salina Robbins

The following was written by Salina Robbins, known in MOVE as Lina Africa. Salina is the daughter of Whit Simms, the niece of Mike Africa Jr., and the granddaughter of Mike Africa Sr. and Debbie Africa. 

I am continuing the motif of asking the question “why?!”

Why this, and why that... Alberta Africa has claimed that John Gilbride is still alive, that he was killed by the government, and that he was killed because of gambling debts. These ideas are put forward at the same time, even though they are mutually contradictory, and none of them make sense. They say John Gilbride had “gambling debts” but the number one characteristic of having gambling debt is that the person you owe money to needs you alive to collect on their debt. What’s the first course of action of someone you owe money to on that level? Well, I think they may try to motivate you first by going after family and friends who you love. The loan shark may threaten you and even torture you. But at no point is their first reaction to simply kill the asset. Their collateral to collect on their money is the person who owes the money. John Gilbride was shot point-blank several times in the face and chest. If a loan shark killed John Gilbride due to gambling debts they have sealed their fate, they’ve decided that they’re not in any way interested in collecting what they were owed. If you relate this scenario to a movie or a show, the bad guy usually kills the asset after they’ve obtained something of interest. Never before. As a child who spent two years of my life barricaded in 4504 and 4506 Kingsessing Ave. at the demand of Alberta Africa. I never saw her upset after John Gilbride’s death was announced. In fact, Johns's decision to go “against” MOVE is what justifies his death ‘til this day. She constantly reinforced the above-stated “theories” along with constant and consistent conversation with members stating what happened to him was because of his violation to go against MOVE. As you all continue to ask questions and fact check, I would like to ask you the question: Did Alberta Africa benefit from John’s Death?

Alberta Africa, at a press conference in MOVE headquarters less than 12 hours after John Gilbride was murdered

Monday, August 16, 2021

Blog Update and More Fliers from the Campaign Against John Gilbride

Since the Leaving MOVE blog was launched on June 29th we've posted to the blog nearly every day. The events that have unfolded in the last six weeks; June going into hiding, many who were born into MOVE publicly leaving, the launch of the Murder at Ryan's Run podcast, and the start of this blog, all coincided with a period of my life when I had an unusual amount of time I could give to this project. That situation is beginning to shift and as a result, we will likely slow down posting to two to three times a week. There's still much more that needs to be written and explained and we have many, many more documents to present. There's also a great deal about early MOVE history for which we're still laying a foundation. 

In the last six weeks, there have been 45 posts to this blog and many of them build on one another. I know from personal communication that many people started reading from the first post and have continued to the present. However, there are also people who are jumping in now and this can be very confusing. Most of the later blog posts build on earlier posts, and it has to be this way because of how complicated cult dynamics and MOVE history are. In the next few days, I'll be posting a guide to the blog with key recommended posts and some other resources for understanding this material.

For today I'm posting three more fliers that were distributed during the custody battle that Alberta Africa turned into a potential confrontation, as well as a war of character assassination and intimidation against her ex-husband John Gilbride (that culminated in his murder). There are many more documents like this that provide context for the situation around the custody case. Under each document, I've made a few notes to contextualize the document. 

(Click on the images to magnify)


Many thousands of copies of this flier were distributed in September of 2002. Notice the way that a routine custody case is being framed as an attempt by the government to kill members of MOVE. 


These were distributed in front of Ed Rendell's office as well as in his residential neighborhood. Supporters were sent into the residential neighborhoods of the judges on this case, politicians, lawyers, John Gilbride, and his family. 

This was distributed in front of Judge Shelley Robins New's office and I believe that it was also distributed in her neighborhood. 

Friday, August 13, 2021

The Question is WHY - A Statement from Salina Robbins - August 13th, 2021

The following was written by Salina Robbins, known in MOVE as Lina Africa. Salina is the daughter of Whit Simms, the niece of Mike Africa Jr., and the granddaughter of Mike Africa Sr. and Debbie Africa. 

The question is WHY. Why is it that the public figures of the MOVE cult continue to dismiss or counter ALL of the horrific allegations that have come forward thus far?

MOVE has always been strategic and does nothing without the gain of something. The public figures claim to fight against injustice on every platform they’ve ever been a part of or have created, including @Thebreakfastclub, @fightagainstinjustice, film festivals, podcasts, interviews, news media, social media, and films to narrate and push rhetoric.

The Prominent figures claim RIGHTEOUSNESS. The Prominent figures claim they are MORAL. They claim they PROTECT all life but somehow disregard the horrors within the confines of the MOVE cult which violates the very basis of human rights. MOVE says “the power of truth is final” MOVE says there is no peace without justice.
Does this concept not apply to MOVE?
Why is it taking these public figures so long to speak about these injustices? Are they looking for a strategic way to continue to make money, a way to hold on to the fame they’ve already gained from others' pain and suffering?
Their refusal to tell the truth has led to confusion and thoughts of self-harm of people who still consider themselves to be loyal members.
I implore people to keep asking the question “why,” why, are the public figures uninterested in protesting? Why are they silent? Why are they complicit? Why do they only want to discuss these criminal incidents behind closed doors?