Image Credit: Memphis City Council & Facebook.
Article by Olivia Lupia, Tennessee Conservative News –
Proceedings became chaotic at the Memphis City Council meeting on Tuesday after the body delayed a vote on a proposed data center moratorium and new regulations for the second time, prompting protestors to take over the meeting hall and sparking fistfights.
Over 100 people packed the chambers for Tuesday’s meeting where council members debated for nearly an hour and a half about whether to vote on a 12-month data center moratorium to allow the city to further study the impact of the facilities on health, engineering, and power and water infrastructure and possibly implement new rules for the future.
While the moratorium and regulations may not have great impact on the already existing data centers in the city, like SpaceXAI, it could affect new proposals like one recently filed by a company called 5C MEM01. Their plans seek to revamp 504,000 square feet inside an already existing 1.1 million-square-foot building into a $575 million data center with promises to bring at least 250 jobs.
Council members ultimately voted 7-5 to delay the vote until Oct. 20 so they could have more time to discuss the measure and make amendments to the ordinance parameters as many members were divided on the pros and cons of implementing a moratorium, including potential loss of tax revenue and the need for comprehensive guardrails.
But the decision to postpone caused pandemonium to erupt as protesters crowded the dais and began chanting slogans like, “This is our city,” and “Bought and Sold!” One protestor grabbed a bullhorn and lead a cry of “ain’t no power like power of the people,” before police intervened to clear the chamber when the chair called a recess.
Dropping decorum completely, Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, who voted to postpone, decided to engage with the protesters and other council members, yelling at audience members to “pipe down” and saying she was “sick of all of you,” as she was dragged out of the room by staff.
She specifically shouted at Councilman J.B. Smiley who said he believed it was incumbent on the body to take the moratorium vote on Tuesday night due to a “lack of transparency, the lack of the community engagement, and we have 200-plus people in the room, many of whom took off work for this body to make a decision.”
Cooper-Sutton fired back as she was being escorted away, “That’s all he does; he brings up mess, he… that’s all you do, JB Smiley, confuse the people over, over, over and over! Anytime there is an election!”
Meanwhile, fights broke out in the city hall lobby as the protest spilled over with punches thrown and supposedly at one point, “hair weaves flying”. At least two women engaged in a fight near the exits while the meeting was happening though Memphis PD confirmed no one was injured or detained.
The meeting’s disarray made local, state, and national news, and many Tennesseans had thoughts on the spectacle, especially as the Democrat gubernatorial candidate currently sits on the Memphis City Council.
“These are the riots and disruptions that Jerri Green will bring to the state of Tennessee (SHE is a council member) if she gets anywhere near the governor’s office!” wrote one person.
“As a resident of the City of Memphis I just have to say…We are run by idiots. Thank you for joining my TED talk,” quipped another.
Sources:
WREG.
WREG.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
One Response
Memphis is an incredibly dangerous place. Don’t go there unless you must, and if you go there watch your back and carry a gun. It is NOT like other TN cities. Many of the people who live there have gotten used to violence.
Here’s one example > A famous rapper from Memphis named MoneyBagg Yo wrote a song in 2021 named “Memphganistan” and in 2024 it was made into a movie. Memphis is so dangerous that he moved to Atlanta in 2022 to escape the violence in Memphis after his friend Big Nuskie was murdered.
If you want to read more, go to https://tennesseeconservativenews.com/memphis-stories-memphis-is-incredibly-dangerous-dont-go-there-but-if-you-must-stay-alert-and-watch-for-killers/