TW/CW police and anti-black violence

I& #39;ve been following a story that more people should know about. It& #39;s about a city that bombed itself, museums, and an Ivy League anthropology course that used the bones of Black children murdered by the police in 1985

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đŸ§”" title="Thread" aria-label="Emoji: Thread"> 1/30
Philadelphia.

5:30AM May 13th, 1985.

500 police converged on 6221 Osage Avenue, where the Black activist group MOVE lived with their families.

They demand MOVE surrender

2/30
When MOVE wouldn& #39;t surrender, the police deployed tear gas and water cannons, then fired over 10,000 rounds at the house — until they were out of bullets.

Allegedly, this is a response to automatic gunfire. Later, no automatic weapons in the house

3/30
There are 13 people trapped in the house by the police: 7 are adults and 6 are children

4/30
Adults: Ramona Africa, Rhonda Africa, Teresa Africa, Frank Africa, Raymond Africa, Conrad Africa, & John Africa

Children: Tree Africa (14), Delisha Africa (13), Birdie Africa (13), Little Phil Africa (12), Netta Africa (12) & Tomasa Africa (9)

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đŸ“·" title="Kamera" aria-label="Emoji: Kamera"> of MOVE the 1980s

5/30
At 5:27pm, 12 hours after the siege began, police drop a canvas bag containing a Tovex and C4 bomb on the roof of the house

6/30
The subsequent explosion (which I will not share footage of) immediately ignites a fire that soon engulfs 6221 Osage Avenue

7/30
Police, now restocked with more ammunitions, proceeded to shoot at anyone trying to get out of the house, preventing them from escaping the inferno

8/30
There is no effort to put out the fire for 90 minutes. It& #39;s deliberately left to burn. Soon, the flames spread to nearby houses

9/30
Eleven people, six adults and five children, die in the fire. Only Ramona Africa and Birdie Africa manage to escape

10/30
The flames continued to spread and were not brought under control until it is nearly midnight. Two blocks of a mostly Black neighbourhood are completely destroyed

11/30
60+ homes burn, and around 250 people were suddenly homeless. An entire community decimated

12/30
It& #39;s hard to articulate the scale of the destruction. Every time I see the photos I am speechless

13/30
It& #39;s hard to articulate the scale of the destruction. Every time I see the photos I am speechless 13/30
It& #39;s hard to articulate the scale of the destruction. Every time I see the photos I am speechless 13/30
It& #39;s hard to articulate the scale of the destruction. Every time I see the photos I am speechless 13/30
It& #39;s hard to articulate the scale of the destruction. Every time I see the photos I am speechless 13/30
Only one person went to prison for the events of May 13th, 1985. Ramona Africa, who was the only adult to survive the fire, served seven years on "riot" charges

14/30
Add& #39;l TW/CW discussion of human remains

This week, new information came to light about the bombing. In 1985, remains of 1 or possibly 2 children who died in the fire were given to the @pennmuseum under the care of @UPennAnth anthropology professor Alan Mann

15/30
The remains may belong to Delisha Africa (13, in yellow) or Tree Africa (14, in red polka dots). Both Delisha and Tree& #39;s mothers are still alive and didn& #39;t know their daughters& #39; remains were in @pennmuseum or studied by @Penn faculty

16/30
In 2001, Alan Mann was hired by @Princeton and took the remains with him. When he retired from @PrincetonAnthro in 2016, they were sent back to @Penn

17/30
It was revealed this past week that neither @Princeton nor @pennmuseum seemed to know where the remains were. On 4/21, @Penn spokesperson said they were "returned to the care and stewardship of Dr. Mann at Princeton University." (per @billy_penn)

18/30 https://billypenn.com/2021/04/21/move-bombing-penn-museum-bones-remains-princeton-africa/">https://billypenn.com/2021/04/2...
Remains of children killed in MOVE bombing sat in a box at Penn Museum

Where are they now, and who is responsible for them? No one seems to know

https://billypenn.com/2021/04/21/move-bombing-penn-museum-bones-remains-princeton-africa/
But @Princeton denied having them: "no remains of the victims of the MOVE bombing are being housed at Princeton." When @CraigRMcCoy at @PhillyInquirer asked if that meant Mann had them, Princeton said they "could add nothing to the statement"

19/ https://www.inquirer.com/news/move-bombing-victim-remains-penn-philadelphia-princeton-20210421.html">https://www.inquirer.com/news/move...
Controversy flares over how Penn and Princeton treated a MOVE bombing victim’s remains

Penn is facing new questions about how it has handled remains of a victim of the MOVE bombing in 1985.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/move-bombing-victim-remains-penn-philadelphia-princeton-20210421.html
When @PrincetonAnthro Dept. Chair Carolyn Rouse was interviewed by @billy_penn, she said they might be in Alan Mann& #39;s lab. Mann has been retired since 2015.

20/30
And it now seems @pennmuseum hurriedly sent them to
Alan Mann ON SUNDAY (per @mlevenson& #39;s @nytimes article), perhaps when they caught wind of forthcoming press

21/30 https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/us/move-rowhouse-bombing-victim-remains.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/2...
Decades After Police Bombing, Philadelphians ‘Sickened’ by Handling of Victim’s Bones

The disclosure that anthropologists at two Ivy League universities had kept bones from a victim of the 1985 MOVE bombing infuriated its members as well as city leaders.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/24/us/move-rowhouse-bombing-victim-remains.html
This disregard for the dignity of the MOVE children by @pennmuseum isn& #39;t new. Per @Edpilkington for @guardian & @billy_penn, they weren& #39;t kept in climate-controlled storage but in a cardboard box on a shelf

22/30 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/22/move-bombing-black-children-bones-philadelphia-princeton-pennsylvania">https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...
Bones of Black children killed in police bombing used in Ivy League anthropology course

Remains of those killed in 1985 Move bombing in Philadelphia serve as ‘case study’ in Princeton-backed course

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/22/move-bombing-black-children-bones-philadelphia-princeton-pennsylvania
Then, in Feb 2019, Janet Monge, a curator at @pennmuseum, used the MOVE children& #39;s remains in a @Coursera class offered by @Princeton:

"Real Bones: Adventures in Forensic Anthropology"

23/30
The course uses pelvis and femur fragments as props, shows photos of the remains in the rubble and describes them in graphic terms

(I’m not going to share images of any human remains)

24/30
I emailed @coursera& #39;s Chief Content Officer, Dr. Betty Vandenbosch. Someone on her team told me the course had been suspended. When I checked just now, I could still access it and watch all associated content

25/30
https://www.coursera.org/learn/real-bones-forensic-anthropology">https://www.coursera.org/learn/rea...
It& #39;s unclear where the MOVE children are now. Neither Mann or Monge have made a statement. Did @pennmuseum shipped remains to @Princeton "attn: Alan Mann" or did someone hand them to him? Why was no one able to confirm where they were last week?

26/30
MOVE, however, is very clear about what should happen next and how you can support them

Sign the petition http://bit.ly/justiceforMOVE ">https://bit.ly/justicefo...

RSVP for rally https://fb.me/e/4YsKJRSZm 

27/30">https://fb.me/e/4YsKJRS...
MOVE, however, is very clear about what should happen next and how you can support themSign the petition https://bit.ly/justicefo... RSVP for rally https://fb.me/e/4YsKJRS...
MOVE, however, is very clear about what should happen next and how you can support themSign the petition https://bit.ly/justicefo... RSVP for rally https://fb.me/e/4YsKJRS...
MOVE, however, is very clear about what should happen next and how you can support themSign the petition https://bit.ly/justicefo... RSVP for rally https://fb.me/e/4YsKJRS...
And to @Princeton ( @PrincetonAnthro), @Penn ( @UPennAnth), and @pennmuseum: the bones that have been passed back and forth between your institutions don& #39;t belong in an anthropology collection or museum

The MOVE children are not props. They& #39;re people.

28/30
All or focus should be on justice for the MOVE family (looking at you, @PrincetonAnthro, and the excuses you made to @PhillyInquirer)

29/30
There& #39;s a lot to unpack about the objectification of Black bodies, the violation of the sacred, the violence of the academy, the racism in so many museums and more. Reading others& #39; thoughts have informed my thinking, so I will link to them below

30/30
https://twitter.com/misskstrong/status/1385388534735855618">https://twitter.com/misskstro...
https://twitter.com/GeorgeAumoithe/status/1384989911212724224">https://twitter.com/GeorgeAum...
https://twitter.com/ruha9/status/1385015057961177090">https://twitter.com/ruha9/sta...
https://twitter.com/JKSteinberger/status/1385145517047492609">https://twitter.com/JKSteinbe...
. @MxAbdulAliy& #39;s opinion piece in the @PhillyInquirer, which was the first thing I read (h/t @GeorgeAumoithe) https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/penn-museum-reparations-repatriation-move-bombing-20210421.html">https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/c...
Penn Museum owes reparations for previously holding remains of a MOVE bombing victim | Opinion

Penn has not publicly addressed Philadelphia’s Black communities for the holding of remains from someone who died in a state murder.

https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/penn-museum-reparations-repatriation-move-bombing-20210421.html
. @Mkassutto& #39;s article in @billy_penn linked above (h/t @hthompsn). It was the only other article besides @MxAbdulAliy& #39;s on the MOVE children& #39;s remains at the time and was very helpful. Yesterday she did a piece for @NPR https://www.npr.org/2021/04/23/990187353/bones-of-children-killed-in-move-bombing-shuttled-from-lab-to-lab-for-decades">https://www.npr.org/2021/04/2...
Bones Of Children Killed In MOVE Bombing Shuttled from Lab To Lab For Decades

Six adults and five children lost their lives during the 1985 attack on the Osage Avenue MOVE compound. Now two Ivy League Universities are saying their remains of the children are missing.

https://www.npr.org/2021/04/23/990187353/bones-of-children-killed-in-move-bombing-shuttled-from-lab-to-lab-for-decades
. @bae_lay& #39;s article was the first and perhaps the only so far that looks at how the news about MOVE& #39;s children is impacting the Penn community https://billypenn.com/2021/04/23/move-remains-penn-museum-princeton-students-apology/">https://billypenn.com/2021/04/2...
Students at Penn and Princeton are horrified over mistreatment of MOVE

University researchers were cavalier about studying the bones of Delisha and Tree Africa, and there’s still no clarity on where they currently are.

https://billypenn.com/2021/04/23/move-remains-penn-museum-princeton-students-apology/
. @artcrimeprof summed up my feelings pretty well https://twitter.com/artcrimeprof/status/1384979422575566853">https://twitter.com/artcrimep...
https://twitter.com/DrJonathanRosa/status/1385234463408357389">https://twitter.com/DrJonatha...
https://twitter.com/ZoeSTodd/status/1385634944848842752">https://twitter.com/ZoeSTodd/...
https://twitter.com/ztsamudzi/status/1385619561756733444">https://twitter.com/ztsamudzi...
When I first read them, @LaCharles88& #39;s thoughts stopped me in my tracks. I bookmarked and returned to them many times over several days https://twitter.com/LaCharles88/status/1385227004879024129">https://twitter.com/LaCharles...
. @drvholden& #39;s closer look at Janet Monge& #39;s quote really changed the way I saw its historical context https://twitter.com/drvholden/status/1385617250896519172">https://twitter.com/drvholden...
. @AntheaButler& #39;s thread elucidates the connections between the treatment of MOVE& #39;s children, the Morton collection of craniums at @pennmuseum, the perpetuation of 19th-century race science, white Christianity, and the dehumanization of Black people https://twitter.com/AntheaButler/status/1385027869152272388">https://twitter.com/AntheaBut...
. @richardkevans shows the news about the MOVE children is part of a pattern. After the bombing, victims& #39; were left to decompose in the city morgue for 6 months. MOVE had to go to court to bury bodies of John Africa & Frank Africa https://twitter.com/richardkevans/status/1385222245052821504">https://twitter.com/richardke...
Adding @RobertSkvarla& #39;s thread on @Penn& #39;s history of scientific experimentation on Black people in Philadelphia. I was unaware of most of this https://twitter.com/RobertSkvarla/status/1385234616727097344">https://twitter.com/RobertSkv...
See @Dr_C_Thompson& #39;s thoughts on the objectification of bodies in museum space and her entreaty to "consider what lessons you are really teaching when you teach with such remains." https://twitter.com/Dr_C_Thompson/status/1385011085879746566">https://twitter.com/Dr_C_Thom...
A disturbing anecdote from @BenForWard3 about @pennmuseum. I have no doubt, given the multiple accounts of the unethical and dehumanizing practices, that more will come to light as scrutiny intensifies https://twitter.com/BenForWard3/status/1386428142445686784">https://twitter.com/BenForWar...
A great point by @williamcson. As content is shared about the MOVE children& #39;s remains, notice where images are "affirming the knowable (black objecthood) and disguising the untold (black human being)." (quoting @demonicground)
1/4 https://twitter.com/williamcson/status/1387147990998061064">https://twitter.com/williamcs...
. @demonicground& #39;s 2014 article "Mathematics Black Life" has changed the way I think, talk & write about trauma, and the imperative to "foster a commitment to acknowledging violence and undoing its persistent frame, rather than simply analytically reprising violence."
2/4
. @demonicground& #39;s 2014 article "Mathematics Black Life" has changed the way I think, talk & write about trauma, and the imperative to "foster a commitment to acknowledging violence and undoing its persistent frame, rather than simply analytically reprising violence."2/4
. @demonicground& #39;s 2014 article "Mathematics Black Life" has changed the way I think, talk & write about trauma, and the imperative to "foster a commitment to acknowledging violence and undoing its persistent frame, rather than simply analytically reprising violence."2/4
. @demonicground& #39;s 2014 article "Mathematics Black Life" has changed the way I think, talk & write about trauma, and the imperative to "foster a commitment to acknowledging violence and undoing its persistent frame, rather than simply analytically reprising violence."2/4
The images of Tree & Delisha Africa& #39;s remains reminded me of Sadiya Hartman& #39;s words: "She did have a name & a life that exceeded the frame in which she was captured." What frame do these images perpetuate? Should we perpetuate it?
4/4
(h/t @sahaley& #39;s https://www.aaihs.org/intimate-historical-practice/">https://www.aaihs.org/intimate-... )
Adding @MargaretSanfor& #39;s thoughts on the use of images of the MOVE children& #39;s remains. It is a different lens than @williamcson& #39;s, and points to how journalists might learn from the thinking done elsewhere about the violence images can represent
1/2 https://twitter.com/MargaretSanfor/status/1387427228074528770">https://twitter.com/MargaretS...
. @MargaretSanfor also mentions NAGPRA, gesturing at a connection others have been making between white settler-colonialism& #39;s violent, racist treatment of Indigenous Peoples & the MOVE children& #39;s remains. See @KimTallBear tweet https://twitter.com/KimTallBear/status/1385986218597392388">https://twitter.com/KimTallBe...
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