The Force is with him: D.C. settles with man who protested National Guard using Darth Vader's theme song

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

June 26, 2026, 2:10 PM EDT


The District of Columbia has settled a lawsuit by a protester who said he was detained and handcuffed for following National Guard troops around the city while playing Darth Vader’s theme song from “Star Wars.”. The terms of the agreement were not immediately disclosed, but the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents demonstrator Sam O’Hara in the case, said in a press release that he was receiving compensation. The group did not immediately respond to a request for more details.

The D.C. mayor’s office referred questions to the local police and the D.C. attorney general’s office. Representatives for the Metropolitan Police Department and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The incident happened in Sept. 2025, when O’Hara, a D.C. resident, was protesting against President Donald Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to the city, and did so with music.

“In the Star Wars franchise, The Imperial March is the music that plays when Darth Vader or other dark forces enter a scene or succeed in their dastardly plans. It is also the soundtrack of Sam O’Hara’s protest against the National Guard deployment in D.C.,” his lawsuit said.

“Mr. O’Hara was deeply concerned about the normalization of troops patrolling D.C. neighborhoods. And so, he began protesting the Guard members’ presence by walking several feet behind them when he saw them in the community. Using his phone and sometimes a small speaker, he played The Imperial March as he walked, keeping the music at a volume that was audible but not blaring,” his suit said.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/dc-settles-man-played-darth-vaders-theme-song-national-guard-rcna351945

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ACLU CASE SUMMARY - O’Hara v. Beck – Defending the Right To Protest the National Guard

Link to SETTLEMENT NOTICE (PDF) - https://www.acludc.org/app/uploads/2025/10/027-OHara-Notice-of-Settlement.pdf

REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143552612

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[wcmagumba]

1. Good for him...1st amendment rights, trump and his camo shirted enforcers were violating them...

I'm sure these guardsmen had no choice in where they were sent but I still believe they were violating his rights...

[BumRushDaShow]

2. The NG apparently sic'd the D.C. Metro police on him

so that is who he settled with.

[wcmagumba]

3. Glad he settled but the NG putting the DC PoPo on him might even be worse...

[BumRushDaShow]

4. CYA move!

[paleotn]

7. They realize they have no jurisdiction and can't "arrest" anyone.

More or less they just wander around with their thumbs up their butts not scaring anyone. Another of Donnie's epic fails.

[The Grand Illuminist]

10. Not good.

One of the benefits of lawsuits is getting the opposition on record and under oath. He had a great chance to win. But he was bought out with stipulations.

[electric_blue68]

5. Good! That was a funny vid of him doing that

[rubbersole]

6. If these settlements were paid out of the police pension fund...

...instead of the city treasury - well, there would be many fewer arrests. Just sayin'.

[ret5hd]

8. why punish the solitary "good cop" on the force:

1: cops need to be bonded/insured, just like a doctor

B: when a judgement is made against a cop, the bond/insurance pays out

iii: when a cop can no longer get bonded/insurance , no more employment as a cop

[The Grand Illuminist]

9. Sam O'Hara has a price.

That is a huge shame.