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A Washington, A D.C. man is suing police, a National Guard member and the district itself, claiming his constitutional rights were violated after he was taken into custody last month for chasing a National Guard patrol while playing the Darth Vader theme. star wars Franchise.
Sam O’Hara, 35, filed a petition represented by an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union trial In the US District Court for the District of Columbia against the four D.C. police officerone ohio National Guard Members, and the District of Columbia itself.
“The law would have tolerated this kind of government conduct in a galaxy far, far away a long time ago,” the lawsuit says. star wars“But in the here and now, the First Amendment prevents government officials from shutting down peaceful protests, and the Fourth Amendment (along with the District’s ban on false arrests) prevents groundless seizures.”
O’Hara claims he was peacefully protesting the deployment of federal troops while playing “The Imperial March”, an orchestral piece playing behind him. darth vader And the Galactic Empire, from your phone or small speaker,
O’Hara shared more than 20 clips of herself playing the track in the nation’s capital tiktokWith the most recent video, uploaded on Tuesday, hitting 1 million likes.
trial Says O’Hara previously held other star wars-Themed protests against the deployment of the National Guard, and troops generally ignored him.
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However, on September 11, when O’Hara was pursued by four Ohio Guard members, one of them, named Devon Beck, called the police.
Before being taken into custody, Beck allegedly told O’Hara, “Hey, man, if you want to keep following us, we can contact Metro PD and they can come handle you if that’s what you want to do. Is that what you want to do?”
O’Hara claims he did not respond, but continued playing the song and recording the conversation. Several police cars arrived within minutes of Beck’s call, and O’Hara was then placed in handcuffsWhich they say stopped them from continuing their peaceful protest.
O’Hara’s lawsuit asks the court to find that her detention violated her First and Fourth Amendment rights and violated the D.C. law prohibiting false arrest, imprisonment, and battery, while also seeking compensatory damages.
Metropolitan Police Department said Independent When contacted Thursday, he did not comment on the pending litigation. Independent National Guard representatives were also contacted for comment.
talking to Washington Post On Wednesday, O’Hara said he wanted to clarify that his TikTok was not intended to mock National Guard troops.
“I think the men and women who signed up to serve their country did not have in mind that they would be policing their fellow citizens,” O’Hara told the outlet.
He said, “My protest is to make sure everyone knows this is coming from the top. These orders are coming from an administration that wants to use fear and tactics to ensure that their power extends to branches of government where it doesn’t belong.”
President Donald Trump declared a “crime emergency” on August 11, unionized D.C. law enforcement, and deployed National Guard troops to patrol the city, a move that was widely condemned by local leaders and opposed by about 80 percent of residents. Washington Post-Scar School Survey found.