Washington D.c. resident Sam O’Hara has decided to do something about it, by filing a lawsuit. He is suing four local police officers, a member of the Ohio National Guard and the District of Columbia after being injured as part of the protests. O’Hara then delivered an arresting performance. He paraded behind National Guard troops, banging a gong and blaring “The Imperial March,” Darth Vader’s famous Star Wars theme. This show of resistance was meant to counter the Trump administration’s dangerous and unconstitutional deployment of National Guard troops on U.S. streets.
O’Hara’s actions gained attention through TikTok, where he shared his experiences and expressed his discontent with the military presence in civilian areas. At some point, his peaceful protest was met with hostility by U.S. National Guardsman Devon Beck, who called Harris out. Unwilling to budge, Beck threatened O’Hara with arrest if he persisted in trailing the troops, promising law enforcement would be brought in if necessary.
According to the lawsuit, Beck stated, “Hey, man, if you’re going to keep following us, we can contact Metro PD and they can come handle you if that’s what you want to do. Is that what you want to do?” Following this exchange, Metro Police officers came to the scene and arrested O’Hara, placing him in handcuffs, thus terminating his quiet act of civil disobedience.
O’Hara is being represented by an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorney. In his defense, he claims that what he did was a form of legitimate protest and thus protected under the First Amendment. His lawsuit argues that the police and military violated his First and Fourth Amendment constitutional rights. He claims their actions led to his false arrest, false imprisonment, and battery under District of Columbia law.
The lawsuit highlights that “the law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” It shines a spotlight on the underlying laws that protect citizens’ rights to stand up against injustices through peaceful protest. The document further states, “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.”
O’Hara’s case is one of many feeding this growing movement. We make this big platform social movement smart and powerful through humor, targeting military deployments and government actions against immigrant communities. His demonstration is symbolic of the growing plight and advocacy of activists across the world. They raise concerns about the militarization of law enforcement and its impact on civil liberties.