"On September 11, to convey his disgust with President Donald Trump's deployment of troops to D.C., O'Hara played "The Imperial March" on his phone while trailing behind the National Guard. The song is used in the Star Wars franchise to convey the presence of the evil emperor and his second-in-command, Darth Vader. According to O'Hara's account, he walked behind the National Guard while they moved through the streets, keeping enough distance that he wasn't interfering with their activities but close enough that they could hear the music."
"Within minutes, one of the Guard members threatened to call the police on O'Hara, telling him they would "handle" him if he didn't stop. O'Hara kept on, and shortly after, D.C. police arrived and "tightly handcuffed" him for around 20 minutes, the complaint alleges. O'Hara's complaint alleges that, despite being "several feet away" from the National Guard, police officers had insinuated before detaining him that he was "harassing" and even "assaulting" the troops. The officers also dismissed the idea that his action was a form of protest."
Sam O'Hara filed a lawsuit alleging D.C. police and an Ohio National Guard member violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights after detaining him for playing "The Imperial March" while trailing National Guard troops. On September 11 he played the Darth Vader theme on his phone to express disgust at troop deployment, staying several feet behind the troops without interfering. A Guard member threatened to call police and D.C. officers arrived, tightly handcuffing him for about 20 minutes. The complaint contends officers described his actions as harassment or assault and dismissed his conduct as protest activity.
Read at Truthout
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