Charges Dropped Against Person Who Clapped at a City Data Center Meeting
Lux Claridge was dragged from a city meeting about data centers and charged with interfering with the police after they clapped during a presentation.
In Emporia, Kansas, criminal charges have been dropped against Lux Claridge, a high school teacher who was arrested for clapping during a city data center meeting. Claridge, informed by her attorney, is now free of any legal issues, barring any future actions by the county. The small town of Emporia is currently engaged in a dispute with its city commission over a proposed hyperscale data center project set to occupy 1,000 acres of prairie land near Claridge's residence.
Claridge attended a city commission meeting on July 22, intending to voice her opposition to the project, but was forcibly removed and arrested by the police when she clapped during a presentation. She was held for eight hours and charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with a law enforcement officer. The city has not provided 404 Media with a copy of the arrest report and has not commented on the dropped charges.
Following Claridge's arrest, the city commission switched to virtual meetings, prohibiting public comments. However, they have announced that in-person meetings with public comments may resume soon. Claridge quoted Emporia Mayor Becky Smith, stating that the city is willing to give them another chance to act like grown-ups. The city plans to vote in November whether to ban hyper-scale data centers completely, contingent upon a County court granting its request.
The Emporia city commission held a special session on August 26 for public comments, with the next regular meeting scheduled for September 2. The city has also revealed that the November vote on the data center ban is dependent on the County court's approval.
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