"After Trump sent in the National Guard from D.C. and states around the U.S. as part of his crime crackdown, O'Hara started protesting the deployment by playing "The Imperial March" song from "The Empire Strikes Back," the second film in the original " Star Wars" trilogy, while filming National Guard troops on the city's streets. Most Guard members "ignored" O'Hara and "a few smiled or laughed" at his actions and he uploaded the videos TikTok, where they were viewed "millions" of times, per the suit."
""The law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," the ACLU attorneys say in the suit. "But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from shutting down peaceful protests, and the Fourth Amendment (along with the District's prohibition on false arrest) bars groundless seizures.""
National Guard troops were deployed to Washington, D.C. and other states during a crime crackdown. O'Hara protested that deployment by playing "The Imperial March" while filming National Guard troops; most Guardsmen ignored him and some smiled, and he posted the videos on TikTok where they drew millions of views. An Ohio guardsman objected and threatened to call D.C. police. The complaint alleges O'Hara used his phone and a small speaker, kept the music audible but not blaring, and that D.C. police tightly handcuffed and detained him for 15–20 minutes. The ACLU filed a complaint alleging First and Fourth Amendment violations; the MPD declined comment citing pending litigation.
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