Let the Fire Burn

In 1985, a conflict between Philadelphia police and radical black liberation group MOVE reached a violent climax when the police dropped explosives onto the communal row house occupied by the group. The ensuing fire destroyed more than 60 homes and claimed the lives of six adults (including MOVE founder John Africa) and five children. The authorities stood by and watched the fire burn for over an hour before they extinguished the blaze. Jason Osder expertly constructs a historical context for the conflict between MOVE and the police that dates back to the 70’s. Comprised entirely of archival material, including interviews with the only two survivors of the fire and the public commission inquiry that followed the tragedy, LET THE FIRE BURN has a sense of immediacy and current cultural relevance as it investigates how fear, intolerance and prejudice can quickly spiral out of control. (Lynne Crocker)

In the presence of Jason Osder.