A tense video from a hearing in Andover Township, New Jersey, is drawing attention online after a debate over a proposed data center spiraled into shouting, accusations of corruption, and one man being led out in handcuffs.
The footage shows residents protesting a data center moving into the community with little warning. The company behind it, reportedly valued at $20 billion, would receive "massive tax breaks" to do so, Ben Dziobek (@BenDziobek) wrote.
Inside a barn, frustrations spilled over when neighbors demanded answers from six elected officials. A man in plaid asked, "How much are they paying you to allow this data center?" After raucous applause from the crowd, he added, "We deserve to know."
A COMMUNITY MEMBER HAS BEEN ARRESTED AT A DATA CENTER HEARING IN ANDOVER NJ!
— Ben Dziobek (@BenDziobek) May 8, 2026
The rural town was meeting in a barn and planned to give massive tax breaks to a $20 billion company while schools are under funded and residents electric bills keep going through the roof! pic.twitter.com/eMPkSPA8qE
In the video, the man directly confronted the committee, saying: "You're talking about proposing an AI cryptomining data center in this town. This is not a wealthy New York City suburb. This is working-class Jersey at its core. And not only are you inviting Big Tech into our backyard, but you're handing out tax breaks to them as if there's not work to be done here. As if there's not potholes to be filled, roads to be fixed, schools to be funded."
The man then echoed common arguments against the proliferation of data centers, telling the town officials: "If you're going to invite them into our backyard, take away our job opportunities, raise our electric bills, pollute our water, the least that you could demand from them is adequate tax payments for their facility. But you're taking a buyout. … Economic development for who?"
The clip also showed police controlling the crowd and taking someone outside. Members of the community yelled "shame" as two officers surrounded the man and asked him to leave.
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The speaker's concerns about data centers are valid, as these facilities are known to raise residents' utility bills and use up enormous amounts of water. But while tech giants are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, many everyday people are being left behind, leading to situations such as the one in this video.
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