Protesters haul a guillotine to city council meeting about a potential AI data center, company rep cornered by protestors — ‘ it no longer felt safe to stay,’ developer escorted out by police
Some protesters brought a guillotine to public consultation for a potential data center in Salem, Oregon. Even though this was displayed outside the venue, it was a confrontation between the data center's representatives and some of the community members that led the latter to leave early.
On July 27, Salem City Council convened a public meeting to discuss the proposed $5.1 billion Oakline at Mill Creek data center by Verrus. As attendees gathered, a TikTok user noticed a guillotine being towed by a bike to the venue, sparking protests against the project. The consultation lasted over six hours, with community members expressing their opposition.
Verrus representatives were present at the start but had to leave midway due to confrontations from protesters. A Verrus spokesperson stated that it became unsafe to remain at the site. Following the meeting, Salem implemented a data center moratorium for a year to review zoning laws. Despite the moratorium, Governor Tina Kotek announced that Oregon would cancel a deal to sell land for the project, reducing Verrus's required land to approximately 43 acres.
The developer still needs to navigate a lengthy permitting process, including technical studies and enforceable agreements. Oregon has been proactive in requiring large consumers, like data centers, to cover grid upgrades, leading to increased charges for high-power users but a slight reduction in residential electricity costs. However, opposition to data centers in towns and cities remains strong.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
