Nearly 100 attend town hall opposing Amazon data center
Nearly 100 residents and community organizers attended a town hall in Shreveport, Louisiana, to oppose a proposed Amazon data center. Speakers raised concerns about potential environmental impacts, strain on local resources, and a perceived lack of regulation. Attendees were encouraged to contact local and state officials to express their concerns.
A community-led town hall, titled "The Truth about Data Centers," was held at Greenwood Acres Full Gospel Baptist Church in west Shreveport, Louisiana, drawing nearly 100 attendees on Thursday evening. The event focused on potential impacts of data centers and specifically addressed opposition to a planned Amazon data center in the area. Community organizers and residents presented information and voiced concerns about the project.
KD Minor, a community organizer from New Orleans, presented information regarding data centers across Louisiana, highlighting a perceived lack of regulation surrounding Meta's data center project in Monroe. Minor asserted that large-scale data centers could lead to increased pollution, strain local resources, and create economic challenges, citing issues like electrical power outages, water shortages, and high electricity bills observed in other regions. Event organizer Derrick Henderson emphasized the importance of community involvement, noting that opposition efforts elsewhere have successfully delayed or halted data center construction.
Attendees, including Tonya Williams, found the meeting informative and beneficial, empowering them with information to engage with the issue. The forum concluded with a call to action, encouraging residents to contact parish, city, and state officials to voice their concerns. The organization No Data Centers 318 was also present, collecting signatures in opposition to the proposed Amazon project, and indicated plans to continue efforts against additional data center construction in the Shreveport area.