Biography
Charles "Chuck" Sims Africa was the youngest of the MOVE 9, only 18 years old at the time of the August 8, 1978 Philadelphia police raid on the MOVE compound at 33rd and Powelton. He was convicted with the rest of the MOVE 9 of third-degree murder of Officer James J. Ramp. He was the last of the MOVE 9 either to be paroled or to die behind bars — released on February 7, 2020 after 41 years in Pennsylvania state prison. He died of cancer in 2021, less than two years after his release. Charles (“Chuck”) Sims Africa was a member of MOVE, a Philadelphia-based Black liberation group known for back-to-nature living, outspoken critiques of police, and advocacy around issues including animal rights and environmental conditions. His activism is most often discussed in the context of MOVE’s sustained confrontations with city authorities in the 1970s.
Sims Africa was one of nine MOVE members (“MOVE 9”) imprisoned after the August 8, 1978 police siege of the group’s home, an event that ended in a shootout and the death of Philadelphia police officer James Ramp. He and the others were convicted of third-degree murder and sentenced to 30–100 years. After decades in prison, Sims Africa was paroled on February 7, 2020, reported as the last incarcerated MOVE 9 member to be released.
Charles Sims Africa is a member of MOVE, the Philadelphia-based Black liberation and back-to-nature group founded by John Africa, and one of the "MOVE 9." Following the August 8, 1978 armed police confrontation at MOVE's Powelton Village house — in which Officer James Ramp was killed — the nine surviving adult members were convicted of third-degree murder in 1980 and each sentenced to 30 to 100 years. After about four decades inside, consistently maintaining innocence, the MOVE 9 members were granted parole between 2018 and 2020.
