New MOVE Bombing Report Outlines Failures and Calls for Action

PHILADELPHIA, June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lionell Dotson, whose sisters Katricia and Zanetta Dotson were killed in the 1985 MOVE bombing, responded with heartbreak and disgust as the latest investigation into the MOVE bombing aftermath shows the city of Philadelphia's repeated attempts to gaslight the victim's families and the public the public at large while desecrating the remains of victims like Dotson's sisters for nearly four decades. The report, released today, also detailed the University of Pennsylvania's role not just in holding Katricia Dotson's remains but also in attempting to quietly dispose of those remains in 2021. Dotson is represented by renowned Civil Rights attorneys Bakari Sellers (Strom Law Firm) and Daniel Hartstein.

"Throughout this process, Mayor Jim Kenney, the city of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania have asked us to trust them," says Dotson who renewed his calls for this City to immediately release his sisters' remains. "But this report makes it clear that they simply aren't trustworthy."

"It is mind boggling that I still don't have my sisters remains."

In addition to concluding that the remains discovered at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office include those of Katricia and Zanetta Dotson, the report calls on the Medical Examiner's Office to amend the death certificates of all eleven MOVE victims to reflect that their deaths were homicides and not accidents.

"Katricia and Zanetta Dotson didn't have an accident. The City killed them," said renowned Civil Rights attorney Bakari Sellers, who represents Dotson. "If Mayor Kenny wants to make things right, then he should start there. Tell the truth and start treating the victims and their families with basic human decency."

In addition, the report calls for a comprehensive review and reform of Medical Examiner's Office policies and procedures to improve accountability, remove bias and make independent investigations a priority for homicide investigations where law enforcement is involved.

This isn't rocket science," said attorney Daniel Hartstein, who also represents Dotson. "This report is only calling for the kind of accountability cities across the nation have been implementing for the past six years. Given our history with tragedies like the 1985 MOVE bombing, Philadelphia should be leading that discussion instead of playing catch up."

Click HERE to view the full report.

SOURCE Strom Law Firm, LLC