Quick Hit: Socialist group behind anti-data center protest at Charlotte City Council
The Party for Socialism and Liberation pressuring Council to adopt 150 day moratorium on data centers
The Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) played a large role in protests at a Charlotte City Council meeting last week over an agenda item that would place a 150 day moratorium on data center facility approvals.
Last week, a portion of Business NC’s daily digest newsletter caught my eye. The newsletter republished a report by Rob Nanfelt, the leader of Charlotte’s Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition, which described what went on at the Charlotte City Council meeting, specifically on the proposed moratorium.
What caught my eye was the involvement of PSL, which More To The Story has covered quite a bit in the last year related to “No Kings” and anti-Israel protests.
Here’s the text of Nanfelt’s report:
On the agenda, eliciting the most fire were data centers. Just one of the many issues that represent a frightening trend toward revolution, all being carried out by people marching around with facts that could quite possibly have been amassed from their phones, by using data, meant to be used against anyone planning for progress.
The Party for Socialism & Liberation (yes, I too believe those words are diametrically opposed terms) are organizing in Charlotte as part of a nationwide effort, and their focus last night appeared to be eliminating existing data centers while also banning any future ones. This group is also tied to the Service Employees Union International (SEIU) that came out in force for City Council elections during the 2025 cycle, successfully handing the election to Council Member J.D. Mazuera Arias by 34 votes.
They were on hand at that 2025 meeting to bully the council into holding up a final airport lease agreement until certain airport workers are paid a wage deemed acceptable to the union. A one-year lease extension has been approved, which affords SEIU members an opportunity to continue the campaign of agitation. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.In all seriousness, if you are not paying attention to current events in our community, you really need to. In a 10-day period, the Charlotte City Council killed a highway project that had been conceived of more than a decade ago and was unanimously approved for support, also by the council, less than two years ago.
I’ve rarely seen government of any kind move that fast. In doing so, our community gave away $600-700 million that would have gone to widen the highway, rebuild nearly 20 overpass bridges, and provided additional community benefits such as safer crossings and enhanced parks. The sticking point was that the total cost of the road expansion was closer to $4 billion, meaning that a private company would have been engaged to build out the improvements in exchange for the ability to collect tolls for a determined amount of time. According to some of the individuals who had involvement with the I-77 project to the north, many lessons had been learned and the approach would be different. I guess we won’t have the opportunity to see that play out as we are now back in the queue for funding from NCDOT, along with the rest of the state, meaning it will likely take years, maybe decades, to get back to the top of the list.
I’ll say it one more time: If you want to have a voice and any say in the future of your community, you need to start paying attention. If you don’t, one day you may wake up and wonder what happened. I already am.
Queen City News captured an image (below) of the PSL protesters outside of the Council chambers, holding pre-printed, professional signs demanding “data center ban!”
A key section from the Queen City News article says Arias and Amjera joined the protesters in their demands:
“There’s really no limitations or restrictions where data centers can be built as long as it’s zoned correctly,” said Councilman J.D. Mazuera Arias
He and fellow council member Dimple Ajmera joined a group of about 60 protesters calling for more data center restrictions. Many of those people packed the council chambers, holding signs and showing support for their fellow data center opponents.
Coordinated campaigns against data centers allegedly backed by foreign countries have been seen nationwide and PSL leading the charge in Charlotte lends credibility to those claims.
The video and agenda from the Council meeting can be accessed here.
No action was taken on the 150 day moratorium proposal during the meeting but the Council is expected to take up a vote at its next meeting on June 8.
Charlotte is among around 13 towns and cities issuing resolutions or measures by mid-2026. These counties have already enacted one:
Chatham County: 1-year moratorium (February 2026).
Clay County: 1-year moratorium (September 2025)
Orange County: 1-year moratorium (April 2026).
Gates County: General Moratorium (earlier in 2026).
Harnett County: 1-year moratorium (May 2026).
Northampton County: 32-month moratorium (May 2026).
Rowan County and Swain County: 1-year Moratoriums passed in April 2026.
Towns passing moratoriums include:
Apex: 12-month moratorium (passed April 2026).
Brevard (Transylvania County): 1-year moratorium (September 2025).
Boone (Watauga County): 90-day moratorium (March 2026).
Canton (Haywood County): 1-year moratorium (February 2026).
Durham: 60-day moratorium (May 2026).
Fayetteville (Cumberland County): 120-day pause (May 2026).
Spring Hope (Nash County): 1-year moratorium (May 2026).
Wendell: Moratorium through Dec. 31, 2026 (May 2026).
The town of Cary and Cumberland County are also both considering such a measure.
A new bill was introduced at the legislature over a week ago called the Ratepayers Protection Act. Keep an eye on my landing page at North State Journal — later this week I will have an article on that bill and how it addresses large data centers.