An Indianapolis council member said more than a dozen bullets were fired at his house Monday morning and a handwritten note reading “No Data Centers” was left on his doorstep.
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In a statement, Indianapolis City-County Council member Ron Gibson said he and his 8-year-old son were not physically harmed but that they were awakened by the sound of gunfire.
“Just steps from where those bullets struck is our dining room table, where my son had been playing with his Legos the day before. That reality is deeply unsettling. This was not just an attack on my home, but endangered my child and disrupted the safety of our entire neighborhood,” Gibson said.
The FBI and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, whom Gibson thanked in his statement for investigating the incident, referred NBC News to Indianapolis police, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I understand that public service can bring strong opinions and disagreement, but violence is never the answer, especially when it puts families at risk,” Gibson said in his statement.
Gibson, a Democrat who has served in his position since 2023, represents a district where rezoning for a data center built by developer Metrobloks is set to take place. City leaders last week approved rezoning for the project, a project that Gibson publicly backed.
NBC affiliate WTHR reported that residents filled the hearing room for the vote with posters in opposition, following months of protests and rallies opposing the construction of the center.
The rezoning was approved amid rising nationwide opposition to data centers. Legislators from both parties in state capitols across the country have introduced bills to address resource consumption by data centers and the increased utility costs that tend to hit residents.
Gibson added that the incident will not “deter” him and said he prays “that justice is served and those responsible are held accountable.”
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