The Cult of Mumia: from convicted killer to campus icon using the MOVE playbook

Murder at Ryan's Run: exposing the cult of John Africa

A powerful moment in 1999 captures everything you need to know about how MOVE operated. When Rage Against the Machine held a benefit concert for Mumia Abu-Jamal, they didn't just pack an arena with passionate fans—they delivered approximately $75,000 straight into MOVE's coffers. The organization's leadership understood that Mumia's case was their golden ticket to Hollywood, mainstream visibility, financial support, and fresh recruits.

Here is the Howard Stern show mentioned - TC 01:30:47 -01:51:08 (thanks to listener Alex).
Through meticulous research into archived recordings, Beth unveils the calculated recruitment strategy that played out when Mumia delivered a commencement address at Evergreen State College. Behind his revolutionary rhetoric was a 13-minute advertisement for MOVE and its founder, Vincent Leaphart (John Africa). LINK TO VIDEO of Commencement

The speech reveals the organization's chameleon-like ability to mirror whatever values potential recruits held most dear—a classic cult tactic that expert Dr. Janja Lalich calls "Bounded Choice."

Examining Mumia's commencement speech is an opportunity to unpack the recruitment and control dynamics in MOVE - lots of word play, virtue signaling and creating alignment in order to create connections that foster support for both Mumia and MOVE. The investigation takes a darker turn when examining how MOVE specifically targeted teens and young adults using romantic relationships to lure young men, especially those with weapons training, into Vincent's clutches. What looked like love and purpose was actually calculated grooming and for many, like Mike Davis, it would lead to decades in prison following the 1978 shootout with police.
Most telling is Mumia's continued accessibility to supporters while remaining completely unavailable to those investigating MOVE's alleged abuses aka "That Beth McNamara" as MOVE refers to me. Despite reaching out multiple times, Beth has received no response from Mumia regarding the serious allegations made by former MOVE children who have come forward on this podcast. The contrast between his public persona as a revolutionary truth-teller and his silence on these matters speaks volumes.
Why does this matter now? Because understanding how effective MOVE's recruitment tactics were in 1999 helps explain how MOVE and other high control groups aka cults a

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The producers of this podcast wish to stress that all individuals reference in this series are presumed innocent unless or until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law in the United States of America.

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Executive Produced, reported, hosted, and edited by Beth McNamara
Additional research by Robert Helms
Murder At Ryan's Run
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All individuals referenced in this podcast are presumed to be innocent unless or until they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a United States court of law.

Chapters

1. Beth's Investigation Methods (00:00:00)

2. Mumia and Rock Concerts (00:01:04)

3. Rage Against the Machine Benefit (00:05:16)

4. College Campuses and MOVE Recruitment (00:09:00)

5. Analyzing Mumia's Commencement Speech (00:23:15)

6. MOVE's Manipulation Tactics Revealed (00:38:30)

7. Unanswered Questions for Mumia (00:44:00)