@originsosu

What constitutes terrorism? In a new piece from Picturing Black History, Dr. Sheneese Thompson demonstrates how the Philadelphia police turned a neighborhood to ashes in the 1980s and the desecration of the remains of the dead that followed. To read full article, click link in bio. --- "This photograph captures the widespread destruction unleashed in West Philadelphia when the police bombed the MOVE organization on May 13, 1985. The image was originally captioned, “[a]erial view of smoke rising from smouldering [sic] rubble where some 60 homes were destroyed by fire after a shootout and bombing at the back-to-nature terrorist group MOVE’s house in West Philadelphia where police were trying to force the group’s eviction.” ​ The caption takes a clear position in justification of the gratuitous violence the Philadelphia police employed to remove the group from their home as well as how the day’s events should be remembered. It also reflects not just the individual bias of the archivist who catalogued the photograph, but also the broader antiblack bias that shaped public perceptions of the bombing and the MOVE organization itself." --- 📸: Photos by Bettmann Collection / @gettyimages #blackhistory #blackhistory365 #picturingblackhistory #philadelphia #americanhistory #photography #history