The War on Protest - In These Times
Amin Chaoui had been in Atlanta less than 24 hours when things took an
unexpected turn. Chaoui, then 31, drove down from Richmond, Va., to attend a
March 2023 music festival organized by activists trying to stop the
construction of the police training facility known as Cop City. The sprawling
compound in one of Atlanta’s largest urban parks would require clearing at
least 85 acres of partly forested land that abuts a predominantly Black
neighborhood in DeKalb County. It faced growing opposition from racial and
environmental justice advocates, including an occupation of the forest that
began in November 2021.
Chaoui was loosely familiar with Cop City — he’d seen flyers around Richmond —
but hadn’t been involved in the campaign. He’d also never been to Atlanta, and
was especially drawn to the music. There was also an Alcoholics Anonymous
meeting at the festival that appealed to Chaoui, who had started a recovery
program five months prior. “I honestly just thought I was going to spend a few
days in the forest and then go home,” Chaoui said.
But before the hour-long AA meeting ended his first night there, Chaoui noticed
heavily armed police officers encircling the venue. About a half-mile away, a
group of protesters had staged an impromptu march through the development site,
setting fire to some of the construction equipment. As the sun began to set,
plumes of smoke rose above the forest, providing the only pretext law
enforcement needed to round up anyone in attendance. As Chaoui tried to leave,
he and about 50 other people were corralled and handcuffed in a parking lot. By
the end of the night, 23 of them were thrown in the DeKalb County jail.
When Chaoui was released 18 days later, he faced a very different future: He’d
been charged with domestic terrorism, which, in Georgia, is punishable by up to
35 years in prison.
Several months later, in August, Chaoui and 60 others were also indicted under
anti-racketeering laws designed to go after organized crime, known as the
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Allegations against
members of the group include being part of a criminal conspiracy among an
“organized mob” to “occupy the DeKalb forest and cause property damage.”
Chaoui has struggled to find work since then; he’s been relying on fundraising
networks to pay his rent. Chaoui’s relationships with friends and family have
also frayed. As a Muslim American, the domestic terrorism charge — one of the
first results that appears if you search him online — is an especially heavy
burden. “My personal life is in shambles now,” Chaoui told me.
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