u/tiflis

Greensboro residents demanded a 32-month moratorium on data center development. Some demanded a ban, full-stop. But Greensboro City Council voted to extend their initial 4-month data center moratorium to 6 months, while thanking residents for their input, which they promised to consider. 

The final motion fell over two years short of what residents demanded. 

The public hearing on the moratorium extended over two days. Hundreds of residents packed council chambers and nearly 50 residents spoke to demand a meaningful pause on data center construction. No speakers advocated against a moratorium, or for a shorter moratorium.

At least 13 other cities and 11 counties have passed data center moratoriums of at least one year in duration. Greensboro’s new 180-moratorium is the shortest of any city’s in the state, except Charlotte. The moratorium will only apply to data centers with electric power demands over 10 megawatts. 

source: Battleground Drafts

Four years ago, Greensboro City Council awarded an incentive of over half a million dollars to an out-of-state company called ImpactData. The money was for a proposed nine-megawatt data center on the campus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and the promise of 28 jobs.

The infrastructure was not vetted. The company had existed less than two years. Yet, due to the advocacy of some especially interested parties, Council voted 9–0 to allocate the public funds.

Four years later, there is still no sign of this “cutting-edge” “Dream Center.” A look into ImpactData’s business record and its CEO reveals this is hardly surprising.

Check out the full investigation on Substack.

source: Battleground Drafts

At the start of Greensboro City Council’s public hearing on a proposed data center moratorium, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Roth announced she will recuse herself from future votes related to the moratorium and any forthcoming data center ordinance.

Roth said the recusal was made “to avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest” and “to protect the integrity of the process and public confidence in the decisions Council ultimately makes.” She insisted, “I do not have an actual or direct conflict of interest.”

The recusal comes after months of public frustration with the at-large council member. Roth retains multiple leadership and advisory positions with organizations advocating for data center and AI development. These include roles with the AI Trust Foundation; CEG Solutions, which develops infrastructure strategies for data centers; Commonweal Ventures, whose clients include surveillance corporation Palantir; and the local campus development organization Gateway Research Park.

Gateway Research Park describes itself as “a catalyst for university research, innovation, and economic development.” The organization advocated for the development of a data center on the campus of NC A&T. In a July 25, 2022 letter of support for the project, executive director Jim Westmoreland stated that the data center “received unanimous project support and endorsement from our Board of Directors [as] of February 1, 2022.”

Denise Roth joined Gateway Research Park’s board in January 2022 and remains on the board to this day.

One speaker at the hearing highlighted the connection. This elicited a rebuttal from Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter, who said “Mayor Pro Tem was not on that board when that vote was taken. That was clarified earlier.”

It is unclear what clarification the Mayor was referencing. Mayor Pro Tem Roth had not “clarified” the timing of her membership on the Gateway Research Park board, and her public record of her experience shows she was on the Gateway Research Park board when they advocated for the data center, when City Council voted to award the data center $530,359 in incentives, and when she pushed for data centers as a councillor, against public opposition.

source: Battleground Drafts

First, they said No. Five to four, Greensboro City Council voted against a moratorium on new data center construction.

Then, they said Sort of. Less than two weeks later, council unanimously approved a moratorium—specifically, one that will last just four months and only apply to data centers with power demands under 10 megawatts. 

Between July 21 and August 3, council had not only flipped the majority of its opinion, but had also crafted specific terms on a process that requires public input before passage. 

The abrupt reversal surprised city staff and members of the public alike. Questions remain as to what input City Council will seek at the legally required public hearing, set for Monday, August 17, at 4pm in the council chambers at 300 West Washington Street.

Two notes on the timing of the public hearing. First, it has been set at 4pm, before the end of the typical work day. Second, it takes place just one day before council is set to vote on the proposed moratorium, on August 18.

It remains unclear what input council seeks from the public on the terms of a moratorium councillors have already decided, a single day before they vote on the proposal. 

source: Battleground Drafts

Read more from Battleground Drafts about what Greensboro City Council is doing about data centers, and why blocking them is more possible than they claim.

Greensboro City Council postured recognition of the threats posed by data centers at their recent meeting. Yet one speaker noted that councillors continue to exacerbate the problem. 

Politicians in North Carolina and around the country are actively contributing to the expansion of data center infrastructure through their vast network of policing technology. Flock, Verkada, and other corporate surveillance cameras continue to monitor residents. Greensboro continues to push residents and businesses to integrate their own cameras into policing databases. The countless hours of high-quality video footage these cameras collect have to be stored and processed somewhere. 

Data centers are surveillance centers. The surveillance state cannot exist without them. And every second those cameras run marks another theft of Americans’ privacy and resources to capitalists’ hoards of wealth and power. 

source: Battleground Drafts

Speakers at this week’s Greensboro City Council meeting asked for more than a moratorium on data center construction. In the face of the multitudinous threats that data centers pose, many demanded an outright ban.

Luis Medina pushed the issue further, noting what Council’s actions reveal: when capital wants something, it is inevitable; when working people want something, it is impossible. 

He observes that what is possible is a matter of power. Ultimately, he suggests all power be moved into the hands of the working class.

source: Battleground Drafts

In a sudden about-face that surprised residents and city staff alike, Greensboro City Council has made the first step toward a data center moratorium. 

At their August 3 meeting, council reversed their prior vote on July 21, when five of nine councillors voted against a moratorium. Councillors said that an influx of public pressure from hundreds of residents motivated the change of course. The unanimously approved motion noted a 10-megawatt limit on new data centers during a proposed 120-day moratorium.

This did not seem to satisfy many in the room, which was filled with residents including 45 who signed up to speak. Speakers called the moratorium “the bare minimum,” and many demanded an outright ban on the infrastructure. 

Residents cited environmental and economics costs, along with the unproven nature of the technologies fueled by proliferating data centers, as reasons to take a stronger stance. Speakers criticized council’s fidelity to capitalism and pointed out that the funds that may go to data centers—such as the $530,359 incentive awarded to ImpactData for their data center on the NC A&T campus—would be better used to address housing affordability and necessary infrastructure. 

Speakers enunciated a general distrust for council’s judgment, as council hosted a data center lobbyist the day after the initial moratorium vote. Several expressed concern over the expanding use of data centers for surveillance. 

Conversations will continue over public hearings, the first of which will take place in council chambers on Monday, August 17, at 4pm.

source: Battleground Drafts

Joining hundreds of cities across the US, Greensboro residents are pushing local government to stop data center construction. See slides for some of the reasons why.

source: Battleground Drafts

In a recorded call, City Attorney Lora Cubbage laid into a resident with complaints, accusations, and threats. 

Jason Hicks called Cubbage to ask about a post the City Attorney’s new Facebook page made on July 9. The post called out Hicks by name for his public records requests with a lengthy justification on their delayed fulfillment, “not offered as an excuse, but as context.” 

When Hicks called to speak directly about this unorthodox behavior, which would seem to violate the city’s social media policy, Cubbage accused Hicks of lying and racism. When Hicks tried to explain many of the charges she leveled against him were in reference to posts others made, Cubbage told him he could not speak. She attacked criticism of the city, describing posts she ascribed to Hicks as “petty,” “juvenile” and made “because you don’t like what’s going on and you can’t change it.” 

“I don’t care what you post,” Cubbage said. “Cause now I’ve gotten free rein from my council to come at you. So let’s roll.” 

source: Battleground Drafts

The Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing on July 30 regarding data center emissions in Richmond County, NC:

July 30, 6–9pm
Old Richmond County Courthouse
Courtroom A
114 East Franklin Street
Rockingham, NC 28379

Amazon is currently constructing a 21-building hyperscale AI data center in Hamlet, NC. The project entails nearly 600 diesel generators, plus another 57 generators requested on the site by Duke Energy.

The public hearing will address the Amazon’s and Duke Energy’s requests to receive permits for loosened pollution standards.

Comments on the requested permits can be made at the hearing, via email to daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov, or via phone, (919) 707-8400.

See final slide for talking points from u/cleanwaternc 

Source: Battleground Drafts

The Department of Environmental Quality will hold a public hearing on July 30 regarding data center emissions in Richmond County, NC:

July 30, 6–9pm
Old Richmond County Courthouse
Courtroom A
114 East Franklin Street
Rockingham, NC 28379

Amazon is currently constructing a 21-building hyperscale AI data center in Hamlet, NC. The project entails nearly 600 diesel generators, plus another 57 generators requested on the site by Duke Energy.

The public hearing will address the Amazon’s and Duke Energy’s requests to receive permits for loosened pollution standards.

Comments on the requested permits can be made at the hearing, via email to daq.publiccomments@deq.nc.gov, or via phone, (919) 707-8400.

See final slide for talking points from u/cleanwaternc 

Source: Battleground Drafts

Immigration enforcement is a business, and GEO Group is profiting. 

The largest for-profit prison company in the US, with headquarters in Charlotte, NC, is set to open an immigrant detention center in Hertford County, NC. 

The 1,400-bed facility will be among the largest on the east coast and stands to add tens of millions to GEO Group’s skyrocketing profits. 

Full text on the Battleground Drafts Substack. Original post.

Immigration enforcement is a business, and GEO Group is profiting. 

The largest for-profit prison company in the US, with headquarters in Charlotte, NC, is set to open an immigrant detention center in Hertford County, NC. 

The 1,400-bed facility will be among the largest on the east coast and stands to add tens of millions to GEO Group’s skyrocketing profits. 

Full text on the Battleground Drafts Substack. Original post.

Greensboro City Council held a work session this week to hear from Christopher Lloyd, a consultant who lobbies for data center development with the Virginia-based firm McGuireWoods. 

Lloyd’s presentation, delivered “on his own dime,” covered types of data centers and emphasized the purported fiscal benefits of their developments. Advising solely on economic development, he could not answer many of councillors' questions, including on environmental impacts. 

While repeatedly stating he did not intend to “intimidate” or “advocate,” Lloyd presented information on growing computing demand that he said necessitates additional data center development. He pointed to entertainment streaming, banking, and what he said was “the next big thing in automation,” autonomous vehicles. 

Left undiscussed was the single largest sector driving data center construction currently: generative artificial intelligence. 

Full recap on the Battleground Drafts Substack. 

Greensboro City Council spent nearly an hour discussing data centers on Tuesday night. After residents pressed for a moratorium on data center construction, District 1 Councillor Crystal Black made a motion to pass one. It failed. 

In the divisive conversation and vote following Black’s motion, five of the nine council members voiced their opposition to a moratorium: 

• Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter
• Mayor Pro Tem Denise Roth
• At-Large Councillor Hugh Holston
• District 4 Councillor Adam Marshall
• District 5 Councillor Tammi Thurm

 

Four councillors voted in favor of a moratorium: 

• At-Large Councillor Irving Allen 
• District 1 Councillor Crystal Black
• District 2 Councillor Cecile Crawford
• District 3 Councillor April Parker

Read the full recap on the Battleground Drafts Substack.

A homeless encampment sweep apparently occurred between 9:30 and 10:30 this morning, July 21. Greensboro city employees, including police, were spotted near 612 West Gate City Blvd beside “The Pregnancy Network” building with a large truck and multiple police vehicles.

The encampment had been set up at this location for approximately a month. It was dismantled with a grappling truck, normally used for disposing of heavy refuse and garbage. Personal property that was thrown away included tarps, bikes, tents, and containers, likely containing clothing, food, and other personal items.

It remains unclear as of yet if this encampment sweep was brought on by complaints from local businesses or residents, or if city government has enacted a new policy.

Follow Battleground Drafts for updates.

Flock cameras operated by the Greensboro Police Department have now been replaced with cameras from the company Verkada.

In the ten years Verkada has existed, they have been hacked in a massive data breach, forced to fire employees who used their facial recognition system to harass female workers, and sued for violating federal law. Verkada has been the subject of reports exposing lax device security, excessive focus on profit, false positive facial recognition rates up to 85%, and a complete lack of evidence that their use reduces crime.

Verkada devices are becoming increasingly prominent along roadways and even in sensitives locations such as hospitals and schools. Their integration in police systems further expands the powers of state surveillance to track people and vehicles, despite high false positive rates and no data to prove these systems increase public safety. 

Though Flock has drawn the greatest scrutiny for its surveillance practices, the replacement of Flock systems with Verkada systems fails to address the fundamental issue. For residents concerned with privacy, at any level, the problem is not a single company. The problem is mass surveillance itself. 

source: Battleground Drafts

Flock cameras operated by the Greensboro Police Department have now been replaced with cameras from the company Verkada.

In the ten years Verkada has existed, they have been hacked in a massive data breach, forced to fire employees who used their facial recognition system to harass female workers, and sued for violating federal law. Verkada has been the subject of reports exposing lax device security, excessive focus on profit, false positive facial recognition rates up to 85%, and a complete lack of evidence that their use reduces crime.

Verkada devices are becoming increasingly prominent along roadways and even in sensitives locations such as hospitals and schools. Their integration in police systems further expands the powers of state surveillance to track people and vehicles, despite high false positive rates and no data to prove these systems increase public safety. 

Though Flock has drawn the greatest scrutiny for its surveillance practices, the replacement of Flock systems with Verkada systems fails to address the fundamental issue. For residents concerned with privacy, at any level, the problem is not a single company. The problem is mass surveillance itself. 

source: Battleground

Greensboro’s new “violence prevention” initiative wants residents and business owners to register their cameras with a private corporation for police access.

The billion-dollar company Axon Enterprise has a $1.5 million contract with the city to integrate public and private cameras into the surveillance system known as the Real Time Intelligence Center. Camera registration involves a hardware insertion of an Axon device, which for businesses entails granting live, administrative access to the footage. Axon uses artificial intelligence to automatically recognize weapons, vehicles, “etc.”

The newly created Greensboro Collaborative Action Network is promoting the program to residents and businesses owners. Its last meeting was attended predominantly by city staff, council, police officers, and business owners. Its next meeting is July 9.

The broader promotion of the Axon camera program fits the pattern of Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter’s prioritization of expansive policing. Her record of advocacy for the police department is well documented. Less known is the 2023 arrangement between her husband, Isa Abuzuaiter, and the Greensboro Police Department for access to the camera footage at his convenience store on East Market Street.

Source: Battleground

Greensboro’s new “violence prevention” initiative wants residents and business owners to register their cameras with a private corporation for police access.

The billion-dollar company Axon Enterprise has a $1.5 million contract with the city to integrate public and private cameras into the surveillance system known as the Real Time Intelligence Center. Camera registration involves a hardware insertion of an Axon device, which for businesses entails granting live, administrative access to the footage. Axon uses artificial intelligence to automatically recognize weapons, vehicles, “etc.”

The newly created Greensboro Collaborative Action Network is promoting the program to residents and businesses owners. Its last meeting was attended predominantly by city staff, council, police officers, and business owners. Its next meeting is July 9.

The broader promotion of the Axon camera program fits the pattern of Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter’s prioritization of expansive policing. Her record of advocacy for the police department is well documented. Less known is the 2023 arrangement between her husband, Isa Abuzuaiter, and the Greensboro Police Department for access to the camera footage at his convenience store on East Market Street.

Source: Battleground