Hyperscale, hypersensitive: US teacher cuffed for applauding datacenter critics

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Public meeting over proposed AI bit barn ended with zoning approval, a physics teacher arrested, and fresh questions over whether clapping now counts as disorderly conduct

A Kansas physics teacher discovered that in at least one corner of America's AI buildout, applause can apparently earn you a trip to jail.

According to local news reports, Lux Claridge, a 37-year-old physics teacher from Emporia, was arrested after applauding a speaker opposing zoning changes for a proposed hyperscale datacenter, turning what should have been an ordinary planning meeting into national news.

The meeting was called to consider zoning changes for the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus, a "gigawatt-scale" datacenter development. More than 30 residents signed up to speak, with critics warning the project would strain local power and water resources while reshaping the community. Supporters argued it would bring jobs and investment to Emporia.

Commissioners had repeatedly warned attendees not to clap or otherwise react during public comments, but Claridge clapped anyway.

Meeting footage shows the commission chair telling police chief Ed Owens to remove the next person who clapped. Officers approached Claridge, who declined to leave and told them: "Drag me out." Four officers duly hoisted the teacher off the floor and carried him outside.

Claridge was booked into Lyon County Jail on suspicion of disorderly conduct and interference with law enforcement, and later released on bond. Claridge intends to plead not guilty when the case reaches court in September.

"I'm glad to be out, but this is an inconvenience, really," Claridge told local broadcaster KWCH. "It's not really deterring me from speaking out or, I guess, clapping."

The Emporia Police Department said it "remains committed to ensuring public meetings are conducted safely and in an orderly manner, while also respecting the rights of all citizens to participate in the civic process."

Whether clapping itself can legally be treated as a disruption is another matter.

The First Amendment Coalition has argued that public bodies cannot simply redefine non-disruptive conduct as disruptive to suppress expression, citing court rulings suggesting that applause alone may not meet that threshold. Kansas isn't bound by those Ninth Circuit rulings, though they could still give Claridge's lawyers something to wave at a judge.

The arrest comes amid increasingly bitter fights over the infrastructure powering the AI boom. Across the US, communities are pushing back against proposals for enormous datacenter campuses over concerns ranging from power grids and water supplies to noise and land use, while developers and local governments argue the facilities promise jobs, tax revenue, and economic growth.

The controversy did not change the outcome. The commission ultimately voted 5-0 to approve the zoning changes needed for the Flint Hills Digital Campus project.

For the AI industry, that's another approved datacenter. For Emporia, it may be remembered as the meeting where clapping became probable cause. ®