This is an image taken in Birmingham by Charles Moore depicting three firemen violently spraying a fire dose towards African Americans. The event associated with this series of photos was the city authorities attacking anti-segregation demonstrators in 1963. As shown in the photo, the power of the spray was so large that needed three firemen to hold in order to shoot accurately at the demonstrators. It also implies how painful the African Americans would feel being sprayed by that fire dose that they could barely stand and had to lay on the ground and protect their heads with the arms. I believe Charles was shooting with a high shutter speed to freeze the individuals and the water splash hitting the African Americans. In addition, numbers of other were painfully laying on the ground in the background. The inequality shown in the photo perfectly demonstrate the racism and discrimination of that time.
Charles Moore: Birmingham, Alabama, 1963. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2010/03/charles_moore.html/
Good commentary and detailed observation.