Mayor Jim Kenney said Friday that the remains of the bombing victims, which were thought to have been destroyed in 2017, were located at the medical examiner s office that afternoon.
The Philadelphia Health Commissioner cremated the remains of the victims of the MOVE bomb without notifying the African family
The Philadelphia Health Commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley, submitted his resignation on Thursday as an ongoing investigation into the disposal of the remains in the MOVE bomb explosion in 1985.
Unexpected news is the 36th anniversary of the deadly bomb attack in West Philadelphia. dIn the notorious siege of the Black Liberation Organization compound, the police C4 explosives were dropped on the property from a helicopter, destroying dozens of rows of houses and destroying the community of John Africa, the founder of the organization. Eleven people died, including five children.
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Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced in a press conference Tuesday that it will drop its “Safer At Home” coronavirus restrictions on June 11.
The mask mandate will still be enforced but stores, gyms, bars, and restaurants will all be open with limited restrictions. The coronavirus pandemic hit the city hard. Philly, which has a population of about 1.5 million, had nearly 150,000 total coronavirus cases and more than 3,500 deaths. Although the city is gearing up to reopen, Kenney is urging residents to continue being safe.
“We are not yet declaring victory because cases and hospitalizations can rise again at any point if we’re not diligent. I urge everyone to be smart, to continue wearing masks around others, and most importantly, to join the more than half a million fellow Philadelphians who already got their vaccine,” Kenney said according to ABC6.
Mayor Jim Kenney said he learned Tuesday afternoon that Farley inappropriately approved the cremation and disposal of the MOVE victims remains in 2017 without notifying the Africa family. The Philadelphia Medical Examiner s Office had held onto the remains in the decades since the bombing and brought them to the attention of the health department.
Kenney said his administration was unaware of what transpired, but would have handled the situation differently had he been informed that the remains were located in storage.
The city has hired the lawfirm Dechert to conduct an investigation into the issue. It will seek to determine how many MOVE bombing victims were cremated in 2017 and the circumstances that informed Farley s decision not to consult surviving relatives.
Philadelphia Top Doc Thomas Farley Resigns Over Disposing of 1985 MOVE Bombing Victims Remains
On 5/13/21 at 5:37 PM EDT
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley has resigned from his position over his mishandling of the remains of victims of the 1985 MOVE bombing, the mayor announced Tuesday. Earlier this week, I learned of a very disturbing incident involving the Philadelphia Department of Public Health that occurred during the first term of our administration, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement. Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley disclosed that several years ago he learned of remains found by the Medical Examiner s Office that belonged to victims of the 1985 MOVE bombing. Instead of fully identifying those remains and returning them to the family, he made a decision to cremate and dispose of them.