Philly health commissioner admits cremating MOVE victims without telling family & resigns

[Nevilledog]

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Ida Bae Wells
@nhannahjones
I don't even know what to say, except this represents just another disgraceful example of the 400-year struggle for Black people to be treated as fully human in this country, even in death.

Philly health commissioner admits cremating MOVE victims without telling family; resigns effective...
“Instead of fully identifying those remains and returning them to the family, [Farley] made a decision to cremate and dispose of them,” Kenney said in a statement.
inquirer.com
1:58 PM · May 13, 2021

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/thomas-farley-resigns-philadelphia-health-commissioner-move-20210513.html

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Thomas Farley has resigned after admitting that he arranged for the cremation and disposal of remains from victims of the 1985 MOVE bombing that had been found about four years ago at the city Medical Examiner’s Office — without identifying the remains or returning them to family members.

Mayor Jim Kenney said Farley disclosed this week that in 2017, he learned of remains found by the Medical Examiner’s Office that belonged to victims of the infamous bombing.

“Instead of fully identifying those remains and returning them to the family, he made a decision to cremate and dispose of them,” Kenney said in a statement. “This action lacked empathy for the victims, their family, and the deep pain that the MOVE bombing has brought to our city for nearly four decades.

Kenney said he had asked Farley to resign effective immediately. Medical Examiner Sam Gulino is also on administrative leave “pending a full investigation,” Kenney said. Cheryl Bettigole, the current director of the health department’s Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, has been appointed acting health commissioner.

*snip*

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[marble falls]

2. "dispose of them." Very troubling use of a word in a troubling sentence.

[IbogaProject]

3. destruction of evidence

Destruction of evidence as this hid any review of stated cause of death. Desecration of remains.
And moving remains w/o proper authorization for the ones sent to Princeton University.