by Willy Blackmore

Not only could you hear the opposition to the Project Marvel data center plan at last week’s Bessemer, Alabama, city council meeting, you could see it too. The chamber was full of people wearing red, the color of solidarity with those organizing against a plan to bring a $14.5 billion “hyperscale” data center to a wooded property that runs along the city limits.

But despite all the red, and all the public comments from people who are concerned about the resources the data center could suck up and the potential for pollution, too, the city council voted 5-2 to rezone the property from agricultural to light industrial, marking a significant step forward for Project Marvel.

Black and White United in Opposition

Council members Donna Thigpen, who is white, and Cleo King,

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