Chaos consumed a Memphis City Council meeting Tuesday night after officials postponed a vote concerning a proposed moratorium on data centers linked to Elon Musk.

Protesters swarmed toward council members, shouted through a bullhorn, and ultimately had to be removed from the meeting hall, as reported by The New York Post.

The council voted 7 to 5 to table the remaining agenda items until a later date. That decision delayed consideration of the data center measure and quickly sent the already tense meeting spiraling into loud disorder.

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One protester produced a bullhorn and led the crowd in chanting, “ain’t no power like the power of the people.” The spectacle unfolded as council members and residents shouted across the room.

Council Chairwoman Jana Swearengen Washington called for a recess and directed police officers to clear the hall, according to a livestream. The protesters instead moved toward the dais, where council members had gathered together.

Members of the crowd confronted the elected officials and accused them of being “sellouts,” according to video from KWAM News Radio. The furious scene hardly resembled the civilized public discussion that some council members later said they wanted.

Police officers eventually removed the protesters from the hall. Even while being cleared out, members of the crowd continued shouting “this is our city” and “show me what democracy looks like.”

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The disorder was not limited to chanting and confrontations with officials. At least two women fought near the exits during the turmoil, although no arrests were made, WREG reported.

Roughly 100 protesters attended the meeting for what had been scheduled as the final vote on the data center proposal. The facilities at the center of the dispute are located south of Memphis near the border separating Memphis from Southaven.

Two large facilities named Colossus and Colossus 2 are operated by Musk’s artificial intelligence company SpaceXAI. The original Colossus facility was constructed to serve the Grok artificial intelligence bot used by X.

That original facility later became part of an agreement announced in May under which Anthropic will use its full computing power. The proposed moratorium would affect data center development across the city rather than merely settle a dispute over one facility.

If approved, the measure would establish a 12-month moratorium on data centers. The pause would allow a study of how such facilities affect health, engineering, power, and water infrastructure in Memphis.

The delayed motion was rescheduled for October 20, according to Action News 5. Before the crowd was removed, however, the public uproar was joined by pointed infighting among the council members themselves.

Councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton accused fellow Councilman JB Smiley of confusing residents during the debate.

“That’s all he does; he brings up mess, he… that’s all you do, JB Smiley, confuse the people over, over, over and over! Anytime there is an election,” Cooper-Sutton said, according to Action News 5.

Smiley, who voted against postponing the decision, was the lead sponsor of the moratorium proposal. He called for a civilized conversation instead of the shouting and fighting that overtook the chamber.

“When the community shows up, we just have to listen to them. I’m disappointed that we didn’t listen with ears, okay, I hear you, I understand. Let’s figure out how we can do what you want, but also what we believe would be in the best interest of the community,” Smiley said.

Councilman Jeff Warren, an opponent of any moratorium, warned that a yearlong pause could encourage companies to avoid Memphis and build elsewhere. He argued that surrounding counties could offer companies the same benefits without the restrictions being considered by the city.

“If we pass a moratorium, there’s not reason for them to think they need to come here. They get the same benefit from going to Desoto County, Crittenden County, Fayette County, Tipton County,” Warren said Tuesday.

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