Let It Burn!": The Philadelphia Tragedy; Michael Boyette with Randi Boyette

Chicago: Contemporary, 1989. Hardcover. Near Fine -/good +. xi, [7], 314 p., [16] p. of photographs: maps, plans, photographs; 24 cm. Black cloth spine with silver spine title; black paper over boards. Illustrated dust jacket. This is the account of "a handful of urban revolutionaries determined to provoke a response from a society they considered evil and doomed, and of a city administration unable to frame an adequate response." -- dust jacket. MOVE was founded in 1972 in Philadelphia by John Africa (formerly Vincent Leaphart). The members, primarily Black and all of whom adopted Africa as their surname, lived together in West Philadelphia and supported justice for all, including animals. Years of complaints by neighbors about noise and trash, and the city's inability to serve arrest warrants on MOVE members for various crimes in 1985 led to 500 Philadelphia police officers attempting to clear the house, which escalated to the use of tear gas by the police and gunfire by both sides, and then to the inexcusable decision to drop two bombs on the rowhouse. The result was the deaths of 11 people, including 5 children, and the destruction of 65 houses. Book is in Near Fine- Condition: browning along page edges; otherwise, clean and tight. Dust jacket is in Good+ Condition: corners are rubbed; fading along edges; minor loss at lower edge of back flap.