Black Panther Party national headquarters...Oakland, California, 1970

A baby sleeps peacefully on a sofa in the national headquarters of the

avowedly-revolutionary Black Panther Party in Oakland, California, in

the spring of 1970. Comments and critiques are always welcomed.

Thanks...Bill

thank you for sharing this photo that reminds us all what a photographer should always try to do: tell a story. Ciao, G.

Yes I was there, a shame I was not into photography then.Great image Bill.

Guiseppe and Birte: Thank you both for stopping by again and for those kind words. You know, Birte, being a reporter and photographer in the 60s and early 70s was something of a mixed blessing. If you wanted to document protest against war and racial injustice, you had plenty of opportunity, but it could get a bit dicey. In the spring of 1970, I was tear-gassed three weekends in a row while covering three massive East Coast demonstrations. I mentioned this to my editor at the Philadelphia Bulletin Sunday Magazine and he had me do a cover piece on my tear-stained exploits.The front-page shot showed me in my hard-hat and Navy surplus gas mask (which didn't really work) holding my Leica up to an eyepiece. I included in the article a night shot of police in New Haven (I was there covering the protests over Bobby Seale's trial) using a pepper-fogger--a hand-held, fearsome-sounding machine that spewed enormous amounts of tear gas. Of course, I had to use a strobe, and those cops chased me with their gas-snorting device across a downtown park. I called the New Haven police afterwards and asked the department's armorer to assess the performance of the pepper-fogger at the Seale protests. He just bubbled with enthusiasm. "It's as good as 10 men with clubs," he said. After my article appeared, a marketing rep from General Ordnance, the Pittsburgh company that made the pepper-fogger, called and asked me to license the photo to them for use in advertising. I was incredulous. I asked the rep if he'd read the article. Yes, he said, he liked it. I was even more flabbergasted. He mentioned a figure. I said I wasn't interested. He seemed surprised. Cheers...Bill

Thank You Bill for reminding us the story. Great shot.

I can't at all express how powerful and poignant this picture is for me. The turbulence of those times, with all the anger and pent-up frustrations and bitterness, and the innocence of a sleeping and unknowing child.

 

Thank you Bill.

Bill,

 

thank you for your input on my post regarding isolating a subject in a crowd. everybody has been so helpful. that is what i love about this community.

 

this is a beautiful and deeply moving image. thanks to the discussion around my other post, i have been thinking even more about story. i wonder where this child is now, nearly 40 years later. even though just a baby, being in the midst of and growing up in this turmoil surely must have mad an impact.

A piece of history brilliantly captured.  The posters counterpointed by sleeping baby is priceless.