EMPORIA, Kan. — Police officers arrested a local high school physics teacher and carried him out of a city meeting in handcuffs last week after he clapped in support of a speaker opposing a massive data center project.
The incident happened during an Emporia City Commission meeting focused on zoning rules for the proposed Flint Hills Digital Campus. The planned 1,000-acre, gigawatt-scale facility has drawn strong pushback from local residents.
Commissioners warned the audience before public comments began that “clapping” and “snapping” would not be allowed.
Trouble started after a resident ended her speech against the facility with the phrase, “we are the people, and the table belongs to us.”
Following the remark, high school teacher Lux Claridge clapped his hands five or six times.
The presiding officer immediately called on law enforcement to act. “Chief, will you take the next person out that claps or anything. Thank you,” the officer told Police Chief Ed Owens.
Video footage from the meeting shows Claridge telling officers that he had a right to clap as police moved in. Claridge stated that officers would have to “dragged” him out of the room, and police ultimately carried him away in handcuffs.
Claridge addressed the arrest shortly after his release.
”glad to be out – but this is an inconvenience, really. It’s not really deterring me from speaking out or I guess, clapping,” Claridge said.
The Emporia Police Department defended the decision to clear Claridge from the room. The department stated that 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.”
Legal experts say banning all forms of quiet audience support at public meetings can cross constitutional lines. According to the First Amendment Coalition, city councils cannot classify all applause as automatic disruption. Clapping justifies removal only if it truly interrupts or blocks the meeting. The legal group notes that brief applause during public comments is often protected speech, especially if officials permit clapping for topics they like while punishing applause for criticism.
Despite the disruption and arrest, the protest did not change the outcome of the meeting. Commissioners voted to approve the zoning changes required to move the data center forward.
The clash in Kansas comes as communities across the country face growing debates over large computer facilities. Tech companies require massive amounts of power and land to build infrastructure for modern artificial intelligence systems.
Some national commentators and industry supporters claim that blocking data center growth hurts the economy and national security. Certain critics have gone as far as claiming anti-data-center campaigns are fueled by China, with Fox News comparing public opposition to protesting tank and plane factories during World War II. Local residents, however, frequently raise concerns about land use, high electricity demands, and noise.
Read More: Minnesota town with more nutcrackers than people builds 65-foot world record holder
