National Guard in DC

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A DC man who made viral waves for trolling National Guard patrols with Darth Vader’s “Imperial March” says officers weren’t amused — and now, he’s suing them.

According to a federal lawsuit filed this week, Sam O’Hara, 35, claims he was detained and handcuffed while peacefully protesting National Guard troops walking through Logan Circle by following them and playing the ominous Star Wars theme on his phone.

O’Hara — whose videos have racked up millions of views on TikTok — says he began the satirical protests after President Trump deployed National Guard units from several states to DC in August. 

He would walk “several feet behind” the troops, “keeping the music at a volume that was audible but not blaring,” the complaint states.

But when O’Hara struck up “The Imperial March” behind members of the Ohio National Guard on Sept. 11, things escalated quickly.

“Hey man, if you’re going to keep following us, we can contact Metro PD and they can come handle you,” one guard member — Sgt. Devon Beck — allegedly warned, according to the filing. 

Moments later, Beck called MPD, who showed up and put O’Hara in handcuffs.

O’Hara says officers accused him of “harassing” the troops despite him standing several feet away and playing music. 

When he insisted he was protesting, one officer allegedly responded, “That’s not a protest. You better define protest.”

He was cuffed tightly enough to leave marks, the lawsuit says, and detained for upward of 20 minutes before being released without charges.

The complete filing can be found here.

The ACLU of Washington, DC, which filed the case, argues the officers and Guard members violated O’Hara’s First and Fourth Amendment rights, calling it a “groundless seizure” meant to silence a peaceful protester. 

“Armed National Guard should not be policing DC residents as we walk around our neighborhoods,” O'Hara said. “It was important to me not to normalize this dystopian occupation.

"Instead of respecting my right to protest, police officers handcuffed me so tightly my wrists were still marked and sore the next day," he continued. "This shows the danger of deploying troops onto American streets: it puts all our basic rights at risk.”

The suit seeks damages for false arrest, battery, and retaliation for protected speech.

“The law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars it,” the complaint declares.

The battle between the Rebel Alliance and Empire is ongoing.

“The government doesn't get to decide if your protest is funny, and government officials can’t punish you for making them the punchline," Michael Perloff, senior staff attorney at ACLU-DC, said. "That’s really the whole point of the First Amendment."