American Notes Philadelphia

In West Philadelphia, a crane and bulldozer leveled the charred ruins of the neighborhood destroyed when police bombed a cult group's stronghold. In city hall, Mayor W. Wilson Goode named a commission to assess his administration's performance in the crisis. The panel is led by William H. Brown III, a former chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and includes former Watergate Prosecutor Henry S. Ruth Jr. Said Goode: "I tried very hard to find people with an independent thought process. I want the truth." The same day, Managing Director Leo Brooks, who helped direct the assault on the Move headquarters, announced his intention to resign.

Goode also released a letter written before the siege by Move Member Ramona Africa, the sole known adult survivor of the bombing and fire that later engulfed the Move building, killing seven adults and four children and destroying or seriously damaging 60 surrounding houses. The letter warned that Move would "burn this . . . house down and burn you up with us" if the police attacked. Critics armed with hindsight said the note should have tipped city officials that a bomb could spark an inferno.