MUSKOGEE, Okla. — Local and indigenous advocacy groups hosted Muskogee's first community-led town hall Aug. 20, advocating against data centers built close to home.
“We just want someone to be honest with us and let us know what’s really going on," Muskogee County resident Loretta Cunningham told 2 News Oklahoma.
There had already been multiple similar community meetings held this summer elsewhere in Muscogee Nation and in Green Country.
- Previous coverage>>> 'Stop data colonialism': Advocacy groups hold meetings against data center proposals
However, the port in Muskogee already announced two Google data center projects last November.
Organizers from Stop Data Colonialism, part of Honor The Earth, are meanwhile asking community members to still push back on local and state officials in the name of accountability.
“(We’re) trying to focus on getting the facts about the AI centers," Patricia Kaseca of Honor The Earth told 2 News. "Our chief is involved in that and assigning people to a task force."
“I don’t want our electricity, our water (bills) to increase," Muskogee resident Dorea Walker said. "We just don’t want that kind of stuff here."
2 News reached out to Port Muskogee for comment on the Aug. 20 community event but hasn't gotten a response.
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