Bobby Seale was one of the original " Chicago Eight " defendants charged with conspiracy and inciting a riot in the wake of the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago . Bobby Seale , while in prison , stated , " To be a Revolutionary is to be an Enemy of the state . To be arrested for this struggle is to be a Political Prisoner . " The evidence against Seale was slim , as he was a last-minute replacement for activist Eldridge Cleaver and had been in Chicago for only two days of the convention . During the trial , one of Seale 's many vociferous protests led Judge Julius Hoffman to have him bound and gagged , as commemorated in the song " Chicago " written by Graham Nash and mentioned in the poem and song " H2Ogate Blues " by Gil Scott-Heron . On November 5 , 1969 , Judge Hoffman sentenced him to four years in prison for 16 counts of contempt , each count for three months of his imprisonment because of his outbursts during the trial , and eventually ordered Seale severed from the case , leading to the proceedings against the remaining defendants being renamed the " Chicago Seven " . The trial of the " Chicago Eight " was depicted in the 1987 HBO television movie '' Conspiracy : The Trial of the Chicago 8 '' , whose script relied heavily upon transcripts from the court proceedings . Seale was portrayed by actor Carl Lumbly
1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
Bobby Seale