A Memphis City Council meeting descended into chaos Tuesday after council members again delayed a decision on a proposed data center moratorium, sparking protests, heated exchanges and a fight inside City Hall.
The council voted 7-5 to postpone the measure until Oct. 20, frustrating more than 100 people who had gathered expecting a final decision.
The disruption intensified after the vote, with protesters chanting inside the building, council members arguing, and two women getting into a physical altercation in the lobby.
Memphis police responded to the disturbance, but a department spokesperson said no one was detained or injured. The council ultimately ended the meeting as officers cleared the chamber and lobby.
The proposed moratorium would temporarily halt new data center development in Memphis for up to 12 months, giving the city time to establish rules for future projects. Until then, developers can continue pursuing new facilities under existing city regulations.
The latest delay comes as tensions over data center growth continue to mount among residents and council members.
“This is just a total hazard; we’ve basically been invaded by strangers, by people that have gotten paid, and they have not communicated with us in any way,” local community member Amber Lowe said. “This is hurtful, and I’m rethinking where I need to be living at.”
The council’s own divisions became apparent during the meeting.
Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton was removed from the meeting after an argument involving protesters. Before leaving, she also directed criticism toward Councilman JB Smiley Jr., accusing him of repeatedly confusing the public.
“You could’ve came to see me like I asked you to… I ain’t no coward; you pipe down, baby, I clap back,” Cooper-Sutton said.
She later turned her attention toward Smiley, saying, “That’s all he does; he brings up mess, he… that’s all you do, JB Smiley, confuse the people over, over, over and over!”
Outside the council’s internal dispute, protesters made their opposition to the delay clear. Chants of “this is our city” and “show me what democracy looks like” echoed through City Hall as demonstrators moved between the chamber and hallways.
Smiley, who has supported the proposed moratorium, said council members should have responded differently to the residents who came to the meeting.
“When the community shows up, we just have to listen to them,” Smiley told Action News 5. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t listen with ears, okay, I hear you, I understand. Let’s figure out how we can do what you want, but also what we believe would be in the best interest of the community.”
The dispute comes as developers continue to pursue large-scale data center projects in Memphis.
Ohio-based 5C Group filed a $575 million commercial permit on Oct. 5 for the fourth phase of its planned 5C MEM01 data center campus, submitting the documents to the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development one day before the Memphis City Council convened.
As ABC 24 reported, 5C proposed a $152 million Memphis project in November 2025. Last month, Memphis Light, Gas and Water President and CEO Doug McGowen confirmed that 5C had received approval to build infrastructure capable of supporting an additional nine megawatts of computing capacity.
Elon Musk’s xAI has also drawn scrutiny in the Memphis area over its Colossus AI data center, including concerns about air pollution, energy consumption, and the environmental impact on surrounding communities.
The debate over the moratorium reflects broader disagreements about how Memphis should handle the growth of data centers and what regulations should apply to future developments.
Council members had already postponed the vote before Tuesday’s meeting. Supporters of the moratorium want additional time to examine the effects of data centers and develop a framework before allowing more projects to move forward.
For now, new data center projects remain subject to the city’s current rules, meaning 5C’s proposed fourth phase could continue through the approval process.
For residents who packed City Hall hoping to see the moratorium advance, the delay offered little resolution. The confrontation that followed instead underscored how sharply divided Memphis has become over the future of data center development.
