DC Pays Protester Detained for Playing Darth Vader Theme

The District of Columbia has cut a check to the man who trolled National Guard patrols with Darth Vader's theme music. Sam O'Hara, a 35-year-old DC hospitality worker, has settled his lawsuit against the city and four police officers after he was detained in handcuffs for 15 to 20 minutes for playing "The Imperial March" while walking behind Guard members on a September evening, the Washington Post reports. The ACLU of DC, which represented him, announced Friday that a financial agreement had been reached. Neither it nor O'Hara disclosed the amount, but a document released Monday said it was $50,000, including attorneys' fees and other costs, reports the AP.

The city admitted no wrongdoing, but police later issued a statement stressing their commitment to protecting peaceful speech.Still unresolved: O'Hara's claims against the Ohio National Guard sergeant who called DC police. Justice Department attorneys want that part tossed, arguing the soldier is protected by qualified immunity and simply requested local officers "handle" a situation they describe as distracting and harassing. The ACLU says O'Hara was engaged in core political expression.

• "The law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," the lawsuit stated, per NBC News. "But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from shutting down peaceful protests."

"I'm pleased that the DC police recognize their part in violating my rights," O'Hara tells the Post. He continues to post his Star Wars–soundtracked protests on TikTok. Darth Vader's theme music, he says, is "almost Pavlovian. The sound immediately makes me think of tyranny." In a statement, he said he's satisfied with the settlement but DC taxpayers shouldn't be the ones paying, the AP reports. "Those who actually violated my constitutional rights should be the ones paying the price, like taking the money from their pensions. That's what real accountability looks like," he said. "This settlement is a reminder that our freedoms are worth fighting for, especially when the powerful would rather we suffer in silence."