Man who played Darth Vader theme settles National Guard suit

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A protester who said he was detained and handcuffed for following National Guard members deployed to the District of Columbia while playing Darth Vader’s theme song has reached a financial settlement with the D.C. government.

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The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Sam O’Hara, said in a press release that O’Hara was being compensated and posted a notice of settlement dated last Thursday.

“The government’s efforts to silence me ultimately backfired and brought more attention to the unjust deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.,” O’Hara said in a statement through the ACLU. “This settlement serves as a reminder that constitutional freedoms are worth defending, especially when those in power would prefer we stay quiet.”

National Guard member ‘not amused by the satire’

In September, O’Hara protested against U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to D.C., using Star Wars’The Imperial Marchthe theme music for Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers.

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“Most community members got the point of the protest and so did several members of the Guard, who either smiled or laughed in response,” the ACLU said.

But one Guard member from Ohio “was not amused by the satire” and called D.C. police, who sent officers to detain and handcuff O’Hara, the ACLU said.

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Plaintiff ‘pleased with’ financial settlement

The group subsequently launched a lawsuit, stating the alleged detention violated O’Hara’s First and Fourth Amendment rights, which bar government officials from shutting down peaceful protests and bar groundless seizures by the government.

While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, the legal director of the ACLU District of Columbia, Scott Michelman, told the Washington Examiner O’Hara received “a significant amount” that he was “pleased with.”

The settlement resolves part of the case involving the D.C. government and four of its police officers. The lawsuit against the Ohio National Guard member who allegedly called police to stop O’Hara’s protest is still pending.

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