Sam O’Hara was playing “Imperial March,” the theme of the film series villains, while protesting the presence of National Guard troops in the capital when he was handcuffed by city police officers.
The chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington filed a notice in federal court saying that city officials had agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to the plaintiff, Sam O’Hara, in exchange for being released from the lawsuit. Scott Michelman, the legal director of the A.C.L.U. chapter, said that the settlement “was a significant amount Mr. O’Hara is pleased with but that we are not disclosing to respect Mr. O’Hara’s privacy.”
I wish they hadn’t settled, since unfortunately an unconstitutional arrest to generate a speech-chilling headline, followed by buying-off a settlement, is just a take-rights-now-pay-layer strategy that still leads to fascism.
The good news is that that kind of system of buying people off works great for the short term … but eventually the imaginary money that everyone pretended was there eventually disappears and everyone gets angry because they can’t be bought off any more, so they enact violent change in order to get their money back.
The problem with even the slightest notion of violence is that then they have a convenient way to vilify their opponents; just look at the outcome of the Prarieland shooting trial.
I agree, the outcome is true if those in opposition or wanting to fight fascism attempt any kind of violence … but when the money dries up, which it eventually will, it’s the age old story of the snake eating its own tail … when money, power and wealth start evaporating, violence will come from anywhere and everywhere as everyone tries to hang on to whatever is left.
They don’t need any justification. They can and do just enact violence first.
fuck yeah! Anyone else want to go to DC and follow the national guard around blasting Cellswellers version of the imperial march. Willing to split the settlement money 60:40!
Oh Sam O’Hara… my sweet summer child… you could have used this to change the course of history. Yet you blunder and succumb to the capitalist pigs with valueless currency.
What a disgrace.
My sweet summer child, how could he possibly change the course of history any more? You think the legal system would do anything more?
Genuinely curious what you are talking about. The ACLU is already involved doing everything they can.
Anybody who seriously says the phrase “valueless currency” should go touch grass.
