According to technology media outlet Tom's Hardware, officials in Marshall, Michigan, issued a one-year suspension order for AI data center construction on August 3. Just 10 days later, however, city council members began receiving death threats.
Marshall Mayor Scott Wolfersberger recently disclosed that police notified him last week that he had received death threats. The investigation is ongoing.
Council member James Hackworth said they had received credible death threats.
Meanwhile, unidentified individuals posted messages on the Facebook page of Salix, Iowa, threatening the local government and calling for the data center construction to be stopped.
These incidents involved only verbal threats. In April this year, after Indianapolis City Council member Ron Gibson supported a land-use plan, his home was fired upon 13 times.
More than 500 local governments in the United States have now introduced data center restrictions, including construction moratoriums, approval suspensions, and bans. Local residents are primarily concerned about the power consumption, infrastructure strain, land use, and environmental impacts brought by data centers.