Sam O’Hara’s protests have exploded on social media. Although he said he had “great respect” for the military, he criticized its presence in cities, including Washington, D.C.
‘Star Wars’ ‘Imperial March’ plays behind National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.
A man was seen chasing National Guard troops in Washington while playing the Star Wars Imperial March song. The video, originally uploaded by TikTok user @everybodyacriticshow, shows a man walking his dog in a park while playing music on his cell phone behind a security guard. Credit: Everyone a Critic/@everybodyacriticshow via Storyful
- Sam O’Hara started playing “Imperial March” from “Star Wars” behind a National Guard unit in Washington, D.C., in late August. His TikTok post showing the interaction received millions of views.
- An Ohio National Guard sergeant called police in O’Hara on Sept. 11. He was accused of harassing the military, but O’Hara disputed the allegations.
- The ACLU is suing various officials on O’Hara’s behalf, alleging, among other things, that O’Hara’s First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated.
Sam O’Hara was walking his 10-year-old rescue dog, Lincoln, a Dashund mix, near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., in late August when he saw two National Guard soldiers patrolling the area.
“The idea that they looked like stormtroopers kind of crossed my mind,” O’Hara, 35, said.
So he opened Spotify on his phone, pulled up the iconic Star Wars theme “Imperial March,” and started playing it out loud.
O’Hara doesn’t own a lightsaber, but said he has watched every Star Wars movie and “always identified with the Rebels.”
This song, composed by John Williams, symbolizes Darth Vader and the evil Galactic Empire. He thought playing it behind troops, recording the interaction and posting it to TikTok was a creative and peaceful way to protest what he described as an unnecessary and unrest-inducing National Guard presence in the city.
President Donald Trump sent the military in August to combat crime and homelessness in the nation’s capital, an effort that was met with resistance from many Washington residents.
“I’m not anti-National Guard or anti-military,” O’Hara said. “I have a lot of respect for people who join the military and decide to join to protect their country. My problem is that people are here under orders that I don’t agree with, and I’m protesting against that.”
He said the National Guard soldiers he approached on the first day responded obediently, adding that in subsequent encounters other soldiers responded with smiles and waves.
But September 11th was different.
As a result of that day’s events, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint against authorities on O’Hara’s behalf, alleging violations of his First and Fourth Amendment rights.
According to an Oct. 23 complaint filed against the city and the Ohio National Guard, O’Hara began walking behind four Ohio National Guard members in the Logan Circle area and began playing the song — just as he had done several weeks earlier.
Less than two minutes later, the complaint says, an Ohio National Guard sergeant “turned around and threatened to call in D.C. police officers and ‘deal with’ Mr. O’Hara if he persisted.”
O’Hara continued to protest, at which point D.C. Metro Police were called to the scene and handcuffed him for harassing military personnel, according to the complaint. He has denied the accusations made at the time of the incident, repeating in his complaint that he did not harass or obstruct military personnel.
According to the complaint, O’Hara complained that he was handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes and that no effort was made to loosen his handcuffs.
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, this type of government action may have been legal,” the complaint says. “Right now, however, the First Amendment prohibits government officials from shutting down peaceful protests, and the Fourth Amendment, along with the District’s prohibition on false arrests, prohibits baseless seizures.”
Both the Washington City Attorney’s Office and the Washington National Guard’s Joint Task Force said they could not comment on pending litigation.
First Amendment protects records of protests and officials
Music has long been used as a form of protest and solidarity, from spirituals by enslaved people to demonstrators during the civil rights movement, said David Cole, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown Law School.
He said O’Hara was continuing that long-standing tradition with his actions, exercising his constitutional right to publicly challenge government officials and record them doing their jobs.
However, these rights are subject to limitations.
The government is allowed to enforce time, place, and manner restrictions that are content-neutral, and protests cannot disrupt the work of law enforcement. However, Cole saw no evidence that O’Hara violated these restrictions based on the information presented in the ACLU’s complaint.
“He made fun of the role they were playing, and they were offended by it, that’s all,” he said. “There’s no allegation that for some reason they couldn’t do their job because someone was making fun of them.”
Michael Perloff, an attorney with the ACLU, echoed Cole’s sentiments, saying O’Hara’s conduct was “entirely consistent with the type of conduct that courts have determined is protected by the First Amendment.”
“I don’t think this is a borderline case,” he said.
Incidents and lawsuits “were not on the bingo card for 2025”
O’Hara previously lived in Massachusetts and Florida before moving to Washington, D.C., in 2015 and has since participated in numerous protests, including the Women’s March in 2017 and the People’s Climate March later that year.
He has lived in various neighborhoods, including Adams Morgan, Capitol Hill, and Dupont Circle, and describes the city as “very formative” for him as an adult.
He also described it as “gorgeous” and “amazing”.
In other words, O’Hara’s view is very different from how President Trump has characterized the city in justifying his move to call up the military. Although crime rates have fallen in recent years, he describes the city as “dirty, disgusting” and unsafe.
O’Hara said his protests have received an “overwhelmingly positive” response, and some TikTok users have expressed interest in doing the same in cities like Portland, where President Trump is also pushing for the deployment of troops.
“I think the negative people in the comments are people who don’t live in Washington, D.C., who don’t understand what it’s like to live in a once-beautiful city and one day have armed National Guardsmen with giant rifles standing in front of a subway station,” he said. “That’s insane.”
He said being a central figure in a First Amendment lawsuit against his beloved city was “not on the bingo card for 2025,” but the feeling of being part of a larger movement against the Trump administration outweighed his preference for a quiet, private life.
He hopes the case will be resolved quickly and that the law enforcement and military personnel involved will receive training on protesters’ rights. He said he would welcome an apology, but “I’m not holding my breath.”
Cole said the lawsuit could have an impact beyond O’Hara’s personal case.
“It’s about ensuring more broadly that law enforcement, whether it’s local police or the National Guard, respects our constitutional rights, even when we’re exercising them in ways that violate those rights,” Cole said. “It would be a good thing if the government could learn that lesson.”
Breanna Frank is USA TODAY’s First Amendment reporter. Please contact bjfrank@usatoday.com..
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