The Washington, D.C., man who was handcuffed after playing Darth Vader‘s “Imperial March” at National Guard members said that his experience was proof that Star Wars‘ themes of standing up to fascism and tyranny remained “timeless.”
Sam O’Hara, 35, spoke to Newsweek after the District of Columbia agreed to settle his lawsuit over the September 2025 incident, in which Metropolitan Police officers cuffed and detained him for 20 to 30 minutes for playing the iconic Star Wars theme associated with Darth Vader as National Guard members patrolled Dupont Circle.
O’Hara, an artist, was awarded a $50,000 settlement by the city, but he told Newsweek that the funds had not brought him “closure.”
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“I’m still very upset that the National Guard is here. I won’t feel closure until they’re gone,” he said.
The settlement resolves O’Hara’s claims against the Metropolitan Police Department, though his lawsuit against Ohio National Guard member Sergeant Devon Beck.
According to O’Hara’s lawsuit, Beck had been unamused by the protest.
“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?” the sergeant said, per the lawsuit. When the police arrived, O’Hara was placed in handcuffs for up to 30 minutes before he was released without charge.
Asked what he would say directly to those involved, O’Hara singled out the National Guard member named in his lawsuit.
“I would hope that he’s learned his lesson,” O’Hara said. “That he remembers that as a member of the National Guard, his duty is not just to the United States but to its citizens. Part of that duty is making sure that we uphold the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.”
O’Hara also said he remains uncomfortable that taxpayers—not the individuals he believes violated his rights—will ultimately foot the bill for his settlement.
“In an ideal world,” he said, “whoever infringed upon my constitutional right to protest would be the person that has to pay these kinds of fines.”
“I don’t think it’s fair that the D.C. taxpayer, like myself, pays this money,” he added. “I think a more proper punishment would have come from the pensions of these police officers. I think that would make them maybe think twice about wielding power.”
Despite the arrest, O’Hara said the experience has not discouraged him from exercising his First Amendment rights.
“I grew up in a family where we were always taught to stand up for ourselves,” he said. “If we have something that we believe in and it’s unjust or unfair, we should never feel like we have to be quiet.”
He credited his understanding of constitutional protections—and organizations such as the ACLU—with giving him confidence during the encounter.
“Knowledge is power,” he said. “The moment those handcuffs went on, I knew in my heart they were in the wrong. I told them, ‘Please don’t do this. You’re going to get in trouble,’ because I knew this was illegal.”
O’Hara said his decision to accompany National Guard patrols with the “Imperial March” was a deliberate form of peaceful political expression.
“I thought it would get attention,” he said. “I thought it was smart. I thought it was peaceful.”
Rather than confronting officers physically, he wanted the music to communicate his message.
“I wasn’t harming anyone. I wasn’t being destructive,” he said. “Using art and using music—I think that spoke for itself. The song I chose brings up feelings in others that I wanted to convey. It paints a picture, and it tells a story on its own. I think good protest, just like good art, should be provocative.”
The protest itself was spontaneous, O’Hara said, inspired during a routine walk with his dog through Dupont Circle when he saw armed National Guard members patrolling the park filled with families.
“It seemed so dystopian to me,” O’Hara said. “Women pushing strollers, dogs fetching balls, and National Guard members walking around with weapons.”
He explained that he viewed the troops as “pawns,” which reminded him of the Storm Troopers from Star Wars.
“I don’t believe that the men and women who signed up to be in the National Guard thought they were going to be deployed to Washington, D.C., to become the face of what I’m calling the dark side.”
He added that the themes of George Lucas’ space opera were just as relevant today as when the first movie debuted in 1977.
“The story that he told is timeless,” O’Hara said. “Here we are in 2026 dealing with that same… fascism. Tyranny.”
His videos quickly went viral with millions of views worldwide, and O’Hara said it had led to neighbors greeting him with “May the Force be with you.”
His legal fight, however, is not over. The settlement resolves only part of the case, and O’Hara said he still hopes for accountability from the remaining defendant.
“In a dream world,” he said, “I would get a handwritten letter [from Beck]… admitting that he was wrong, that he didn’t understand the First Amendment, and that he apologizes.”
While acknowledging he does not expect that outcome, O’Hara said he hopes the remaining litigation encourages greater respect for constitutional protections.
He also praised the American Civil Liberties Union, which took up his case, adding that, “It’s just great to see nonprofits at work… the system works.”
“The government doesn’t get to decide if your protest is funny, and government officials can’t punish you for making them the punchline. That’s really the whole point of the First Amendment,” Michael Perloff, senior staff attorney at ACLU-D.C, said in a statement.
And despite everything that has happened, O’Hara remains an unabashed Star Wars fan.
“Of course,” he laughed. “I’m a nerd always.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant and Gray R. Thomas