Memphis council postpones data center moratorium vote as meeting erupts
In short
The Memphis City Council voted 7-5 on Tuesday night to postpone a vote on a 12-month moratorium on new data centers and five related measures until October 20, prompting chaos at City Hall. Protesters chanted and were cleared from the chamber by police, and a fight broke out in the lobby; police said no one was detained or injured. The proposal concerns data centers operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI in the Memphis area, where residents have raised concerns about power and water use, air quality and noise.
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The Memphis City Council voted 7-5 on Tuesday night to postpone a vote on a proposed 12-month moratorium on new data centers, along with five related measures, until October 20, according to the documents. The motion had been expected to reach a final vote at the meeting. If passed, the moratorium would pause new data center projects for 12 months while the city studies the impacts, the New York Post and Fox News reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The postponement set off disorder at City Hall. Protesters chanted “this is our city” and “show me what democracy looks like,” and Council Chairwoman Jana Swearengen Washington called a recess and ordered police officers to clear the hall, according to a livestream cited by the New York Post. The New York Post described protesters moving toward the dais and accusing officials of being “sellouts,” while the Commercial Appeal’s reporter Annie Goldman wrote on X that council members were being ushered out amid a heavy police presence and that advocates were “not happy.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
A fight also broke out in the City Hall lobby. Video showed punches being thrown, and a Memphis Police Department spokesperson told Action News 5 that no one was detained or injured, according to Fox News. Newsweek, citing WREG, said the cause of the altercation was unclear, and Fox News said it was unclear what sparked the fight or whether it was connected to the council meeting. [ 2 , 3 ]
The debate concerns two hyperscale data centers in the Memphis area, Colossus and Colossus 2, run by Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company SpaceXAI. The New York Post reported that the original Colossus facility was built to serve X’s Grok AI bot and was later part of a May agreement under which Anthropic will use the full computing power of the facility. Fox News reported that some residents have raised concerns about data centers’ use of power and water, along with their effects on air quality, noise and nearby neighborhoods. The activist group Indivisible Memphis posted on Instagram days before the meeting that “Memphis belongs to Memphis — not Elon Musk,” Newsweek reported. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The meeting itself was contentious. Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton exchanged words with protesters and then criticized Councilman J.B. Smiley Jr., the lead sponsor of the moratorium proposal, saying of him, “That’s all he does; he brings up mess,” according to Action News 5. Smiley had pushed for the final vote Tuesday, arguing residents had shown up expecting a decision, Fox News reported. Newsweek, citing the Commercial Appeal, listed the seven members who supported the delay and the five who opposed it, and Fox News reported that Councilman Edmund Ford Sr. was absent. [ 2 , 3 ]
Newsweek said it contacted the city council and SpaceXAI for comment by email on Wednesday outside standard office hours and did not report a response. The delayed measures are now scheduled for October 20. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The postponement leaves current rules for new data centers in Memphis in place while the city considers a study, with the next decision point set for October 20. Residents on both sides came expecting a final vote, and the confrontation shows how contested the siting of large data centers has become locally. The vote also sets up a further test of how the council handles the SpaceXAI facilities in the area.
Key facts
- The Memphis City Council voted 7-5 to postpone a vote on a 12-month data center moratorium and five related measures until October 20. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The proposed ordinance would pause new data center projects for 12 months so the city can study the impacts, according to the documents. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Two hyperscale data centers, Colossus and Colossus 2, are run by Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI in the Memphis area. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The original Colossus facility was built to serve X’s Grok AI bot and was later part of a May agreement under which Anthropic will use the facility’s full computing power, the New York Post reported. [ 1 ]
- Some residents have raised concerns about data centers’ use of power and water and their effects on air quality, noise and nearby neighborhoods. [ 3 ]
- Protesters chanted “this is our city” and “show me what democracy looks like,” and police moved to clear the chamber. [ 1 , 3 ]
- A fight broke out in the City Hall lobby; a police spokesperson said no one was detained or injured, according to Action News 5. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Council members who supported the delay were Chase Carlisle, Ford Canale, Rhonda Logan, Philip Spinosa, Jeff Warren, Janika White and Yolanda Cooper-Sutton; J.B. Smiley Jr., Jerri Green, Pearl Eva Walker, Michalyn Easter-Thomas and Jana Swearengen-Washington opposed it, and Edmund Ford Sr. was absent, according to the Commercial Appeal. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The council voted 7-5 to postpone consideration of the moratorium and related measures until October 20. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- A fight broke out in the City Hall lobby, and no one was detained or injured. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Protesters chanted inside the chamber and police cleared the meeting hall. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The data centers at issue are run by Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- What caused the fight in the City Hall lobby. Newsweek and Fox News, citing WREG and Action News 5, both say the cause was unclear; Fox News adds it was unclear whether the fight was connected to the council meeting.
- Whether the 12-month moratorium will ultimately pass. The vote was postponed to October 20, so the outcome is not yet decided.
- Comment from the city council and SpaceXAI. Newsweek said it reached out to both by email on Wednesday outside standard office hours and did not report a response.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The New York Post publishes its report on the Memphis City Council meeting, the 7-5 vote to table the agenda and the disorder afterward. [ 1 ]
- Newsweek publishes its account, citing the Commercial Appeal on the postponement and WREG on the lobby fight. [ 2 ]
- Fox News publishes its report, citing Action News 5 on the vote breakdown, the absent council member and the police statement that no one was detained or injured. [ 3 ]