The American Civil Liberties Union announced that Sam O’Hara, a protester who was detained and handcuffed for playing Darth Vader’s theme song while following National Guard members in Washington, D.C., has reached a financial settlement with the D.C. government. The settlement was posted last Thursday, according to a press release from the ACLU, which represented O’Hara.
Protest against National Guard deployment
In September, O’Hara protested U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to the District of Columbia by playing The Imperial March from Star Wars, the theme music for Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers. The ACLU stated that most community members and several Guard members understood the satire and responded with smiles or laughter. However, one Guard member from Ohio was not amused and called D.C. police, who then detained and handcuffed O’Hara.
Lawsuit and settlement
The ACLU filed a lawsuit alleging that O’Hara’s detention violated his First Amendment right to peaceful protest and his Fourth Amendment right against groundless seizure. The settlement resolves part of the case involving the D.C. government and four police officers. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but Scott Michelman, legal director of the ACLU District of Columbia, told the Washington Examiner that O’Hara received “a significant amount” that he was “pleased with.”
Ongoing case
The lawsuit against the Ohio National Guard member who allegedly called police to stop O’Hara’s protest is still pending. In a statement through the ACLU, O’Hara said, “The government’s efforts to silence me ultimately backfired and brought more attention to the unjust deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. This settlement serves as a reminder that constitutional freedoms are worth defending, especially when those in power would prefer we stay quiet.”
