Elon Musk took heat at chaotic Memphis data center moratorium vote
The heated Memphis City Council meeting was shut down after council members voted 7-5 to postpone a vote on a proposed data center moratorium.
A Memphis City Council meeting turned into chaos after a vote to delay a decision on a data center moratorium. Roughly 200 attendees, most of them opposing AI data centers, packed the meeting. Council members repeatedly criticized Elon Musk before voting 7-5 to postpone the decision. Police were called to the scene as shouting and chanting filled the room, with one activist repeatedly yelling, "You're a sellout."
A physical fight also broke out in the City Hall lobby. The meeting highlighted the nationwide backlash to AI data center development. Ahead of the vote, councilman JB Smiley Jr. asked community members to stand if they supported the proposed 12-month moratorium. Councilwoman Jerri Green, who voted against delaying, criticized Musk for not considering community input, while councilwoman Rhonda Logan pointed out the lack of safeguards in Memphis' zoning laws. The Memphis City Council is expected to vote on the moratorium on October 20.
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