OKMULGEE, Okla. — Advocacy groups centered on halting data center development in Okmulgee County and tribal lands alike spoke to Okmulgee-area neighbors June 18 amid reports of a data center proposal.
The Okmulgee Times previously reported developers are pursuing a site on Madison Avenue for a data center, though no plans are in paper yet at the county board of commissioners.
WATCH:"Stop data colonialism': Advocacy groups hold meetings against data center proposals
The lack of confirmed info isn't stopping community town halls like June 18 at College of Muscogee Nation, hosted by a Stop Data Colonialism and Okmulgee County United Against Data Centers. The former is co-managed by Henryetta native and Muscogee Nation citizen Kenzie Roberts.
“The promises that these developers make to elected officials, municipalities, especially even tribal leaders -- if sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Roberts told 2 News Oklahoma.
The efforts of Roberts and Jordan Harmon, a fellow Muscogee citizen advocating against data centers, made the cover of Time Magazine in March.
"We just wanted to represent. We wanted to be here for our community,” Anna Givargidze and Abigail Gallagher said after Roberts' presentation to neighbors in attendance.
Roberts said the goals of the town halls is to get municipalities to enact barriers to data center construction, which Givargidzy and Gallagher said they agree with.
"We don’t want this here, Gallagher said. "It’s not a good thing. At all. It’s not a good thing.”
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