Data Center Reps Face the Guillotine, Flee Public Hearing

AJ Dellinger· Aug 7, 2026 · 7:35 PM UTC ·2 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 5 views

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

According to the Salem Reporter, they were greeted by hundreds of citizens, most of whom showed up to tell Verrus to shove it. Per the Salem Reporter, Verrus’ representatives left the hearing early because they “did not feel safe.” Some pro-data center voices did stay, including Aaron Stickney, the co-founder of SilverSphere Capital that is financing the project. When he spoke, members of the public reportedly jeered and called him a liar.

Key facts

▪According to the Salem Reporter, they were greeted by hundreds of citizens, most of whom showed up to tell Verrus to shove it.
▪Per the Salem Reporter, Verrus’ representatives left the hearing early because they “did not feel safe.” Some pro-data center voices did stay, including Aaron Stickney, the co-founder of SilverSphere Capital that is financing the project.
▪When he spoke, members of the public reportedly jeered and called him a liar.

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Original publisher	Gizmodo
Canonical URL	https://gizmodo.com/data-center-reps-face-the-guillotine-flee-public-hearing-2000795939
Publication time	Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:35:53 +0000
Retrieval time	2026-08-07T19:40:44.836Z
Last seen	2026-08-07T19:40:44.836Z
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

For towns and cities across the country looking for ways to tell data center developers that their projects aren’t welcome in their communities, the fine folks of Salem, Oregon seem to have found a very efficient way to get their message across: Pull up to public hearings with a guillotine.cnx.cmd.push(function(){cnx({"playerId":"92b7b46b-43ed-4e0e-b21b-2c999302d9d7","settings":{"advertising":{"macros":{"AD_UNIT":"/23178111854/od.gizmodo.com/article","CHILD_UNIT":"article","POST_ID":"2000795939","POST_TYPE":"post","CHANNEL":"tech","SECTION":"artificial-intelligence","SUBSECTION":"","CATEGORIES":"artificial-intelligence","TAGS":"artifical-intelligence,data-center-backlash,data-centers,guillotine","NOP":"0"},"timeBeforeFirstAd":0}}}).render("cnx-player-main")}); Last month, representatives…

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