Escaping 6221 Osage
Valerie and her daughters got out of MOVE. Others were still inside when it burned to the ground.
July 11, 1981
Seed of Wisdom wasn’t a “sister group” of MOVE. It was MOVE. Vincent Leaphart (aka John Africa) had ordered his followers to leave Philadelphia in April 1977, taking more than a dozen children with them to Richmond, VA, to escape Child Protective Services following reports of abuse and neglect.
For the next three years, MOVE members trafficked children back and forth between Philadelphia, Richmond, and Rochester, NY where Vincent and others evaded federal indictments and terroristic threat charges.
Just like in Philly, neighbors in Richmond were reporting disturbing scenes: naked children digging in frozen soil for raw food while adults looked on. School-age children were truant.
Authorities attempted to investigate the reports but were met with armed aggression from MOVE.
Fearing for the safety of the children, they backed off. Officials attempted to work with MOVE on child care & education.
In January 1980, a Richmond man named Frank Cox, whose girlfriend was Sharon Sims, a MOVE member and the niece of Vincent Leaphart, filed his report of child neglect and abuse.
According to the hotline report, Sharon Sims threatened to kill all the children if anyone tried to intervene.
Frank Cox, deeply worried about his own child and the others, devised a plan with authorities to safely remove the children. They waited until only two MOVE women, Valerie and Sharon, were in the house. At 1 AM, officers, accompanied by female Prosecutor Patrick Bell, moved in. They found the children naked and asleep under two thin blankets on the floor.
These are the official findings from the medical exams conducted after the raid, revealing severe malnutrition, untreated infections, speech delays, and stunted growth in nearly every child.
Valerie and Sharon (mothers to 5 of the 14 children) hired lawyer Sa’ad El-Amin. He took the case pro bono. Within three weeks, all 14 children placed in foster care were returned to them on appeal.
Sa’ad El-Amin later admitted to me that he knew Valerie and Sharon were planning to defy the judge and flee across state lines with the children—under direct orders from fugitive MOVE leader Vincent Leaphart.
He did not warn authorities. In court, he feigned ignorance.
After felony abduction warrants for both Sharon and Valeria, they reached out to Philadelphia PD in hopes of assistance.
The two women and all of the 14 children were hidden by the two sisters of Vincent Leaphart - Louise James and LaVerne Sims. Vincent ordered them not to leave or even go outside except in the dead of night.
At some point, Valerie began planning her escape.
One night in early April 1981, she snuck out with her two daughters. They fled back to Richmond. Valerie said it was for work, but I believe she also knew MOVE wouldn’t follow her there, with felony warrants pending and the children still under court jurisdiction.
Valerie told prosecutors and social workers she had left MOVE for good. Her children were enrolled in school. She had a job.
On May 13, 1981, Vincent Leaphart and seven other MOVE members were arrested in Rochester, NY. They were extradited to Philadelphia to stand trial. Vincent was acquitted. MOVE continued, and shifted tactics, now vowing to bring “the system” to its knees in his (cult) name of JOHN AFRICA.
Four years later to the day—May 13, 1985—six of the 14 children Valerie and Sharon had once hidden in Richmond were used by MOVE in an armed confrontation with police. Only one would escape: a 13-year-old boy the size of a 9-year-old, known as Birdie. Five would die: Katricia Dotson, almost 15; Zanetta Dotson, almost 13; Delisha Holloway, 13; Phil Phillips, 12 and Tomaso LeVino, almost 10
Based on remains recovered from the fire at 6221 Osage, five adult MOVE members also died, along with, allegedly, their leader, Vincent Leaphart (I’ll believe it when MOVE agrees to DNA testing of his remains & shows me the results).
Listen to the podcast episode for more on this part of MOVE’s history right here on my Substack.
This was a great episode- I'm going to listen again while looking at all the sweet newspaper clippings in your post. Great idea!