Let the Fire Burn Page #3

- Did they ever holler at you?

- Yes.

- Did you cry when you were hollered at?

- Yeah.

- Did they-Did they say they loved you?

- Yeah.

Did you love them?

I came in contact with MOVE

back in 1974.

We had a number of rap sessions

with youngsters...

in terms of trying to offer

a different point of view.

Did they appear to you

to be violent at all?

No, it basically appeared to be a

progressive, uh, political organization...

pretty much concerned

about the issues...

that impacted

on the black community.

Officer Cresse, was there any indication

that you were aware of...

that, uh, the MOVE members

were potentially violent?

Other than being, uh, vocal,

no, sir.

They can put out weird things

like you can hear me use profanity.

But is it possible to describe a maniac,

a profane, obscene, pornographic freak...

without using profane words?

Motherfuckers!

Do you have information concerning how

many arrests occurred involving MOVE?

There was 141 demonstrations.

There was 97 court cases.

There was eight meetings,

and there was 193 arrests.

I have as just as much right...

and my brother got just

as much right to speak as you.

So what you doin' arrogantly

gaveling us down?

- This is not a forum for your political views.

- What is it?

- Do you understand that?

- Do you understand that I was brought here...

because of my beliefs,

because of my views?

I object. I think the witness,

at this point,

is badgering the judge.

They were, in fact,

telling the truth in the courtroom,

and because the judge

could not dispute it,

because the judge had went

to Harvard and Yale and Cornell...

to learn what law was.

They could not understand

how a people could stand there,

looking as they did, but yet knowing

more, in fact, than they did.

And this called for many contempts,

many beatings in the courtroom.

And it was like a repeat

over and over again.

Officer Cresse, directing your attention

to approximately March 30 of 1976,

what, if anything occurred during

that time period with regard to MOVE.

Twenty-four-hour surveillance was

established at the MOVE compound...

at 309 North 33rd Street.

Around the same time,

was there any, um,

situation that arose

with regard to an infant?

Yes, sir.

Could you describe that, sir?

Okay.

Just bear with me, please.

On March 28 of this year,

at about 4:
00 in the morning,

some MOVE members were returning from

one of many sentences in the city jail.

The MOVE people say

they weren't making a lot of noise.

But someone in the neighborhood

complained to the police.

What happened next is

the beginning of a

controversy that has yet

to be investigated.

Somehow an argument

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