Arkansas Pastor Suspended From Facebook After Proposing Data Center Moratorium in Pulaski County

Wendell Griffen, a Black Baptist pastor and candidate for Pulaski County judge in Arkansas, claims he was suspended from Facebook on May 30 without explanation. Griffen suspects his suspension is connected to his advocacy for a 12-month moratorium on permitting data centers, AI campuses, and cryptocurrency mining operations in Pulaski County, which includes Little Rock. He had posted his position statement on regulating the land use impacts of high-intensity digital infrastructure facilities in unincorporated areas of the county, emphasizing the need for a pause to establish a fair regulatory framework to protect the community from impacts on the electric grid, water supply, and other vital systems.

The suspension follows a contentious period in Pulaski County. The Pulaski County Quorum Court had initially been reported to have approved a year-long pause on new data centers, notably exempting AVAIO Digital's planned data center near Wrightsville. However, the day after the vote, Pulaski County Clerk Terri Hollingsworth corrected the count, stating the moratorium failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds majority (10 out of 15 votes), with only eight justices of the peace voting in favor. Citizen opposition to data centers in the area has been significant, citing concerns about loss of farmland, excessive water usage, and increased electricity costs. Griffen has since moved his public comments to Substack while his supporters continue advocating for his reinstatement on Facebook.