Bobby Seale / The Real Criminals
1970 · Poppy PYS-60004 · St. Louis, Missouri
- Artist
- Dick Gregory
- Title
- Bobby Seale / The Real Criminals
- Release
- Dick Gregory's Frankenstein
- Year
- 1970
- Label
- Poppy # PYS-60004
- Format
- LP · Live
- Language
- English
- Country
- St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Songwriter
- Dick Gregory
- Genre
- Spoken Word · Comedy
- Primary theme
- Peace, Protest & Anti-War
Annotation — Civil Rights Songs
The second track "Bobby Seale / The Real Criminals" of course focused on the co-founder of the Black Panthers, Bobby Seale, noted to have been "shackled to a chair, hands cuffed, mouth taped" because he wanted to defend himself in the courtroom. Gregory made the point that if the same thing had happened Russia, Americans would be pointing fingers at the communist. He noted that serial killer Charles Manson was permitted to defend himself, as well as Jack Ruby, who assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald. He concluded that to be convicted in an American court room does not make you a criminal, and that Bobby Seale faced discrimination from a racist judge and court. Bobby Seale walked to into the court room in Chicago...my lawyer is out in San Francisco is being operated on, would you postpone my trial...judge so no boy, go to trial today, your honor would it be okay if I act as my own lawyer, judge said no, you use them lawyers...Bobby Seale was indicted with seven other folks...a man tried to defend himself in a court room where the world wide press is watching ends up shackled to a chair, hands cuffed, mouth taped, what do you think happening in these court rooms in America where ain't…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Notes
2LP gatefold recorded at Bronx Community College; producer Kevin Eggers.
About the artist
Dick Gregory (born 12 October 1932, St. Louis, Missouri; died 19 August 2017, Washington, D.C.) was a comedian and civil rights activist who ran for president in 1968 for the Freedom and Peace Party. [Wikipedia]