Seems like they got the message.
gizmodo.com
Data Center Reps Face the Guillotine, Flee Public Hearing
By
AJ Dellinger Published August 7, 2026, 3:35 pm ET
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.
One person in particular got attention: a guy who put a guillotine on a trailer and rode it around outside of the Salem Public Library’s Loucks Auditorium where the meeting was taking place.
While a lot of ire was directed at the developer, it was not exactly a banner showing for the city council. Per the Salem Reporter, one council member didn’t show up for the event and sent a fill-in to take their spot, and Mayor Julie Hoy made the decision to attend remotely rather than in-person.
By the end of the event, the residents of Salem emerged with a few tentative wins on its ledger. The council vote unanimously to pass a motion to explore banning non-disclosure agreements with developers and another to form a data center task force for the city.
According to the Salem Reporter, the council also set up a second hearing that took place earlier this week and led to a temporary moratorium that will prevent any data center projects from moving forward for at least 120 days.
Turns out the public has more power than you’d imagine, especially when they show up with the blade ready to drop.