Philly Health Commissioner Ousted Over Handling of MOVE Victims' Remains [View all]

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Source: NBC10 Philadelphia


(Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley has been ousted over his handling of the remains of the victims of the 1985 MOVE bombing, the city announced Thursday. Mayor Jim Kenney asked Farley to resign after learning that, several years ago, Farley had cremated the remains of victims of the city's infamous MOVE bombing in 1985 instead of returning the remains to the victims' family.

“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,” Kenney wrote in a statement Thursday. “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.”

Kenney described Farley's actions as lacking "empathy for the victims" and asked him to resign, effective immediately. Kenney also placed Medical Examiner Dr. Sam Gulino on administrative leave pending an investigation. Dr. Cheryl Bettigole was appointed acting health commissioner. Kenney said he would start a national search to fill the position. The resignation comes on the 36-year anniversary of the MOVE bombing, one of the darkest days in Philadelphia’s history. On May 13, 1985, the City of Philadelphia ordered the bombing of a home housing members of the revolutionary, back-to-nature group MOVE in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood following a standoff and shootout with police.

The bombing killed six adults and five children inside the home, including Phil Africa, 11, Tomaso Africa, 8, Delicia Orr Africa, 13, Katricia Africa, 13 and Zanetta Africa, 11. Sixty-one nearby homes were then burned to the ground as the fire spiraled out of control. MOVE members recently learned that decades ago, the city medical examiner gave human remains from the bombing site to Penn Museum for identification, sparking protests and outrage. It’s unknown at this time, however, if those were the remains of the same victims who were cremated and disposed of.

Read more: https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/philly-health-commissioner-dr-thomas-farley-resigns-over-handling-of-remains-of-move-bombing-victims/2813602/

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This breaking news happened right when Biden was giving his speech on CDC's new mask guidance in the Rose Garden, so it's been a bit of a crazy afternoon. There were some other issues early on when mass vaccinations were starting and a contract was awarded to the group "Philly Fighting Covid", later found to have the young CEO pocketing extra doses to administer to his friends (and having had no medical experience), while the same Health Department passed over medical organizations like the "Black Doctor's Consortium ", who had volunteer physicians doing testing of the hard to reach poor and minority communities. One of the Deputy Directors eventually resigned over that.