Willamette Week
On the MOVE in Portland: Ramona Africa and Craig Rosebraugh Speak Tomorrow
May 13th 2008
http://wweek.com/wwire/?p=11884

What a double bill!

In a benefit for the organization MOVE, controversial political
activists Ramona Africa and Craig Rosebraugh are scheduled to discuss
police repression faced by activists in the United States along with
the necessity of direct political action to protect human rights and
the natural environment this Wednesday, May 14, 7:00 p.m. at the
Clinton Street Theater.

Sounds good eh? Just the kind of thing Portland lefties-in-the-choir
love to hear preached from the stage.

But there are some out there who think of these two as criminals at
best, terrorists at worst.

A little background:

As part of the Philadelphia organization MOVE, Ramona Africa was part
of, depending on who is telling the story, either a loose-knit,
African-American activist group, whose members all adopted the surname
Africa, advocated a 'back-to-nature' lifestyle and preached against
technology; or they were simply a cult of child-molesting cop-killers.

Nonetheless, during a standoff with Philly cops in May 1985, a
building that housed MOVE members was firebombed by police and all but
Ramona Africa and a young Birdie Africa were killed in the blaze that
consumed the tenement.

Rosebraugh, as many Portlanders may recall, was the face and voice for
the animal-rights group ALF (Animal Liberation Front) and enviro-group
ELF (Earth Liberation Front) during a very active time for both
outfits during the late 90's.

After subsequent raids in his home by FBI, BATF and other state and
local agencies, eight federal grand-jury investigations and being
questioned in front of the U.S. Congress about the actions of the ALF
and ELF, Rosebraugh published two books and opened and closed a vegan
restaurant. What a busy fellow.

Both are slated to be discussing environmentally themed issues along
with the recent parole hearing in Philadelphia for nine other members
of MOVE—arrested in a 1978 incident involving a police shooting—and
police repression in general.

But a former member of MOVE, Tony Allen, who operates an
Anti-MOVE/Mumia Abu-Jamal blog, has sent a press release to Portland
accusing the group of being a cult and wants the public to know about
Africa's unfriendly actions toward animals and children. He asked
attendees of the event to "do their research" and wondered why the
Clinton would host a "cultist who is as twisted as the Reverend Fred
Phelps?"

Leroy Jameson, co-owner of the Clinton and a native Philadelphian,
says that he hasn't received any calls regarding the lineup but is
hoping for some lively discussion about the events in his hometown.
Check it out tomorrow.



He being one of the most prominent Vegans in the country and he couldn't circulate enough customers to keep the restaurant in operation. That tells you how anxious folks are to swallow his vegan theories and unsatisfying diet.