Case 01 / Ordinance 556-2026Cleveland data-center moratorium
Project context / Case 01
Cleveland data-center moratorium
Yelling at Clouds is a video-first research project tracking how rhetoric around AI infrastructure takes shape, travels, and changes around local policy fights.
Case
Ordinance 556-2026
Place
Cleveland + Ohio context
Evidence
Video language + comments
Focus
Narratives, rhetoric, response
Reading rule Analyst synthesis separates speaker language from audience comments. Narrative labels describe recurring frames; they are not a public-opinion poll.About this project
A proposed Mt. Orab data center is literally in people's backyards
Analyst synthesis
The backyard frame turns acreage into an intimate threat; commenters extend it into secrecy, stranded assets, and loss of rural identity.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Proximity frameTikTok creator caption + ASR
“literally in people's backyards”
High engagement64 likes
“Yea, a giant warehouse was built about 4-5 years ago in Harrison, Ohio and still sits vacant to this day. Complete waste of space, materials & taxpayer money.”
Views
19.2K
Likes
733
Comments
134
Place
Mt. Orab, Brown County
Source languageI drove to Mt. Orab, Ohio to see the land proposed for a massive data center, and it's literally in people's backyards.
Evidence 01Language + comments
Analyst summaryOpposition / place protection
High confidence
A Cincinnati-area lifestyle creator visits the proposed site and translates project scale into a visual proximity claim about rural homes and farmland.
Transcript evidence
TikTok creator caption + ASR
Proximity frame
“literally in people's backyards”
Scale claim
“1,000-3,300 acres”
Reaction cue
“this is actually crazy”
Prominent language
people's backyardsrural Ohiosign NDAswaste of taxpayer money
Narrative coding
Audience comments
76 enriched
High engagement64 likes
Yea, a giant warehouse was built about 4-5 years ago in Harrison, Ohio and still sits vacant to this day. Complete waste of space, materials & taxpayer money.
Typical frame48 likes
JobsOhio is responsible for a lot of this. they're a private company and they go into rural areas like this and get local officials to sign NDAs so they can't talk about these projects until the wheels are already in motion. I don't feel like that is legal. at the very least it is completely unethical imo
High engagement28 likes
I live in Mount Orab. I hate this so much
Typical frame22 likes
I know someone who works for a company that makes and sells steel beams ... they told me that 90% of their work is for data centers now ... I think this is a much bigger problem than most people realize.
Wellington frames a data center ban as protection of small-town identity
Analyst synthesis
The rhetoric is less about AI than belonging: rural character and the right to choose why one moved there become reasons to act before a proposal arrives.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Identity claimYouTube auto captions
“It's America's hometown”
High engagement43 likes
“Good. We're sick to death of this crap! Leave Wellington and Lorain county ALONE!”
Views
9.1K
Likes
195
Comments
84
Place
Wellington, Lorain County
Source languageMost people we talked to here in Wellington say they value the town's history, its ties to agriculture, and they don't want to lose that identity.
Evidence 04Language + comments
Analyst summaryOpposition / proactive control
High confidence
A local report presents a one-year ban as anticipatory land-use policy anchored in agriculture, property values, and Wellington's small-town identity.
Transcript evidence
YouTube auto captions
Identity claim
“It's America's hometown”
Place protection
“keep the community rural”
Personal stake
“I moved out here for a reason”
Prominent language
America's hometownkeep the community ruralleave Lorain County alonestop it before it's a problem
Narrative coding
Audience comments
40 enriched
High engagement43 likes
Good. We're sick to death of this crap! Leave Wellington and Lorain county ALONE!
Mobilization29 likes
Every city and town should be passing laws banning new data centers.
High engagement23 likes
Take your data center and shove it where the sun doesn't shine, sideways!
A Trenton creator calls for ridding the world of AI
Analyst synthesis
The clip binds local land-use anger to technological nostalgia: AI, social media, new housing, and development become one story of a town being sold out.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Collective lossTikTok creator caption; ASR contained only music
“what a sad, sad day for the residents of Trenton, Ohio”
High engagement86 likes
“I wish we could go back to the simple times, we are just surrounded by greed and AI. I seriously want to go back to the 90s”
Views
31.6K
Likes
1.9K
Comments
235
Place
Trenton, Butler County
Source languageWhat a sad, sad day for the residents of Trenton, Ohio ... we need to rid this world of AI.
Evidence 05Language + comments
Analyst summaryAnti-AI opposition
High confidence
A small local account responds to a nearby project with categorical anti-AI language and explicitly acknowledges the contradiction of posting it on social media.
Transcript evidence
TikTok creator caption; ASR contained only music
Collective loss
“what a sad, sad day for the residents of Trenton, Ohio”
Technology rejection
“we need to rid this world of AI”
Self-aware escalation
“let's get rid of social media while we're at it”
Prominent language
rid this world of AIgo back to the 90ssold us outplant corn
Narrative coding
Audience comments
100 enriched
High engagement86 likes
I wish we could go back to the simple times, we are just surrounded by greed and AI. I seriously want to go back to the 90s
Correction / alternative86 likes
Be mad at the farmer that sold it
Typical frame37 likes
I have lived in Trenton most of my life ... city council have truly sold us out ... Now a data center that was not even put to a vote.
Typical frame20 likes
Plant corn, not data centers, solar or houses
Correction / alternative1 like
no offense, but you're using data to say you don't want data.
Ohio Ballot Board clears petition drive for a large data center ban
Analyst synthesis
Petition rhetoric casts a construction ban as direct self-government; commenters immediately shift from agreement to signature-seeking.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Popular sovereigntyYouTube auto captions
“the most impactful way for us human beings to govern the future of our state”
High engagement11 likes
“We The People have spoken. We do not want data centers in our state. Period”
Views
1.4K
Likes
38
Comments
14
Place
Columbus, OH
Source languageThe proposed amendment would ban new data centers using more than 25 megawatts of electricity per month.
Evidence 06Language + comments
Analyst summaryContested mobilization
High confidence
A citizen-led statewide ban advances to signature collection, while the report pairs democratic-control language with a jobs-and-tax-revenue counterargument.
Transcript evidence
YouTube auto captions
Popular sovereignty
“the most impactful way for us human beings to govern the future of our state”
Scale comparison
“as much energy used by 20 to 25,000 homes”
Economic counterframe
“we'd like those jobs and opportunity to be right here in Ohio”
Prominent language
govern the futureblanket banwhere do I signproduce their own electricity
Narrative coding
Audience comments
9 enriched
High engagement11 likes
We The People have spoken. We do not want data centers in our state. Period
Typical frame5 likes
Data Centers should produce their own electricity. Funny America has lived fine without AI for 250 years.
A creator turns statewide opposition into signature-collection logistics
Analyst synthesis
The comment thread behaves as campaign infrastructure: county names, requests to sign, and local NDA reports replace broad expressions of sentiment.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
ThresholdTikTok automatic speech recognition
“413,000 valid signatures”
High engagement354 likes
“no data centers in Ohio!”
Views
44.2K
Likes
8.1K
Comments
892
Place
Ohio statewide
Source languageRight now it is really an all hands on deck moment for us, and we need everyone to use their voice.
Evidence 07Language + comments
Analyst summaryMobilization / ban
High confidence
A creator-organizer translates a proposed constitutional amendment into a concrete volunteer workflow organized by county, registration status, and signature validity.
Transcript evidence
TikTok automatic speech recognition
Threshold
“413,000 valid signatures”
Operational buffer
“aiming to get about 700,000”
Mobilization cue
“an all hands on deck moment”
Prominent language
all hands on deckwhere can I signLorain County hereuse their voice
Narrative coding
Audience comments
100 enriched
High engagement354 likes
no data centers in Ohio!
Mobilization254 likes
Where can I go to sign???
Mobilization180 likes
Lorain county here. I'm following you, please keep us updated!
Typical frame83 likes
I just found out my town is getting TWO CENTERS ... Our city signed nda and construction has already begun with out any vote from us
The Ravenna speaker publishes his full argument before national amplification
Analyst synthesis
This source completes an amplification chain: civic testimony becomes creator content, then a national artifact; commenters quote the most portable moral contrasts verbatim.
Crowd packs Perry Village hall to protest a 200-acre data center campus
Analyst synthesis
The central grievance is procedural: residents say the deal moved before they had a voice, then connect that exclusion to taxes, utilities, and thin permanent employment.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Procedural exclusionYouTube auto captions
“I don't like not having a voice”
High engagement20 likes
“Tech is taking our water and electricity and charging us. The data center has a tax abatement”
Views
5.2K
Likes
73
Comments
53
Place
Perry Village, Lake County
Source languageI never got to say or vote on this. Who decided for us that we're going to have this data center?
Evidence 10Language + comments
Analyst summaryOpposition-dominant
High confidence
Residents frame a proposed six-building campus as a consent and representation failure; local officials counter with a billion-dollar investment and public-services case.
Transcript evidence
YouTube auto captions
Procedural exclusion
“I don't like not having a voice”
Place protection
“fighting plans for a six-building data center campus in the heart of town”
Economic counterframe
“a billion-dollar investment, filling funding gaps for schools, the fire district, and basic services”
Prominent language
who decided for usnot having a voiceheart of towntax abatement
Narrative coding
Audience comments
28 enriched
High engagement20 likes
Tech is taking our water and electricity and charging us. The data center has a tax abatement
Mobilization16 likes
We The People. We all have to come together BEFORE stuff like this happens.
Economic frame14 likes
Data Centers do not have hundreds of human jobs. After construction there could be only 30 humans working actual jobs.
Ravenna testimony argues the city should not become a lab for Big Tech
Analyst synthesis
This is the densest rhetorical clip: technical claims become a moral choice between community resources and trillion-dollar firms.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Corporate distrustYouTube auto captions
“they aren't giving us the science, they're giving us a sales pitch”
High engagement5 likes
“Appreciate him speaking out and speaking up for Ohio”
Views
993
Likes
63
Comments
12
Place
Ravenna, Portage County
Source languageA drop of clean water for a Ravenna child is worth more than a billion AI-generated images.
Evidence 11Language + comments
Analyst summaryOpposition
High confidence
A resident's extended testimony combines personal technology fluency with water-risk claims, low-job skepticism, anti-corporate distrust, and child-centered moral language.
Transcript evidence
YouTube auto captions
Corporate distrust
“they aren't giving us the science, they're giving us a sales pitch”
Jobs skepticism
“a big employer who uses the water of 50,000 people ... only hires about 10 people is not an employer”
Moral triad
“when a trillion-dollar company asks for our water, our electricity, and our silence”
Prominent language
sales pitchghost townsour water, electricity, and silencechoose the community
Narrative coding
Audience comments
8 enriched
High engagement5 likes
Appreciate him speaking out and speaking up for Ohio
Typical frame4 likes
Really well delivered speech. More people should have that young man's intelligence, conviction and ability to communicate
Correction / alternative2 likes
It's hard to turn back the AI revolution. These companies will move forward no matter the cost.
A chance contractor conversation becomes an Ohio inside-scoop narrative
Analyst synthesis
Repeated questions invite the audience to supply an explanation; the thread escalates from secrecy into surveillance, robots, biblical prophecy, and control.
“...maybe they are charging stations for robots, robot police and military, drones, robot dogs, smart cars and smart cities.”
Views
86.5K
Likes
6.3K
Comments
1.1K
Place
Southern Ohio / Pike County
Source languageI'm trying to get, like, the inside scoop ... what the fuck should we be worried about?
Evidence 18Language + comments
Analyst summarySuspicion / rumor
Medium confidence
A creator retells an unverified conversation with a contractor, using rapid construction and incomplete information to ask what is being hidden.
Transcript evidence
TikTok automatic speech recognition
Insider framing
“I'm trying to get, like, the inside scoop”
Secrecy claim
“there's a lot of things that are being hidden”
Suspicion prompt
“what the fuck should we be worried about?”
Prominent language
inside scoopthings being hiddenwhy is he worriedsurveillance centers
Narrative coding
Audience comments
100 enriched
High engagement387 likes
I dont think they are data centers ... maybe they are charging stations for the rollout of robots, robot police and military, drones, robot dogs, Smart cars, Smart cities, IOT.
Typical frame276 likes
beast system
Typical frame164 likes
I just looked up Flock camera map in us, that's got me asking questions and wondering if they are related
High engagement131 likes
They're surveillance centers
Typical frame117 likes
I deliver concrete to one of these data centers and even people that work there in construction have no idea exactly what they're going to be for.
Economic frame101 likes
i'm in columbus and let me tell you our electric bill has skyrocketed. start budgeting now because it's more than a car payment.
Ohio's data center boom shifts the debate to power costs
Analyst synthesis
Ratepayer fairness is the bridge narrative: whoever causes grid costs should pay them, not households already conserving power.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Ratepayer fairnessYouTube auto captions
“Ohio families shouldn't be forced to subsidize billion-dollar tech companies' electric needs”
High engagement33 likes
“No one wants these things.”
Views
4.8K
Likes
132
Comments
131
Place
Ohio
Source languageThe conversation is no longer just about what data centers are, but who pays for them.
Evidence 19Language + comments
Analyst summaryCost accountability
High confidence
The report moves the statewide debate from abstract growth to cost causation: whether residential customers will subsidize new electric demand from billion-dollar firms.
Transcript evidence
YouTube auto captions
Ratepayer fairness
“Ohio families shouldn't be forced to subsidize billion-dollar tech companies' electric needs”
Cost causation
“cost causers should pay for the costs they create”
Household impact
“why are my bills skyrocketing?”
Prominent language
who payscost causerssubsidize billion-dollar techbills skyrocketing
Narrative coding
Audience comments
30 enriched
High engagement33 likes
No one wants these things.
Economic frame31 likes
Take away the tax exemptions for existing data centers too. I do my part with no lights or AC running to keep my electric bill down.
Economic frame26 likes
Just a reminder the subsidies we gave them costed us 1.6 Billion.
20Mobilization
Jun 4, 2026State context
YouTube
Public media / expert panelIdeastream Public Media
An expert panel tests bans against negotiated smart-growth conditions
Analyst synthesis
Unlike most clips, the panel articulates a complete counterframe: communities have leverage before siting, and abstaining may export projects while regional residents still bear grid costs.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Competition frameYouTube auto captions
“a pause means that the data center developer ... is likely going to go somewhere else”
High engagement0 likes
“Yes. NO ONE NEEDS DATA CENTERS. NO ONE WANTS THEM”
Views
159
Likes
5
Comments
2
Place
Northeast Ohio
Source languageIf you negotiate for the right types of things, it helps all of us. It helps all of us as businesses. It helps all of us as residents.
Evidence 20Language + comments
Analyst summaryBalanced / negotiated growth
High confidence
A long-form panel puts environmental law, grid expertise, business interests, and viral opposition in direct conversation about bans, externalities, and enforceable conditions.
Transcript evidence
YouTube auto captions
Competition frame
“a pause means that the data center developer ... is likely going to go somewhere else”
Compatibility claim
“economic development and taking care of our planet ... can coexist”
Negotiated safeguards
“get terms in place ... [that] protect that community”
Prominent language
smart growthbusinesses have choicesnegotiate the right thingsblanket bans
Statehouse testimony reframes data centers as a speculative bubble
Analyst synthesis
The testimony offers a more policy-specific opposition case than resource alarm alone, including a proposed bond tied to promised payroll and community repair.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Bubble claimTikTok automatic speech recognition
“there's no there there”
High engagement6343 likes
“as someone who works at a datacenter. The whole datacenter is ran with about 20 people. so 200 is a blatant lie.”
Views
572.1K
Likes
80.1K
Comments
3K
Place
Ohio Statehouse, Columbus
Source languageWe are in a speculative bubble right now.
Evidence 21Language + comments
Analyst summaryOpposition / financial risk
High confidence
A political creator amplifies technical testimony arguing that private-equity incentives, standard job promises, and uncertain future demand create stranded-asset risk.
Transcript evidence
TikTok automatic speech recognition
Bubble claim
“there's no there there”
Marketing-script claim
“there's always 200 jobs”
Policy remedy
“that money goes in a bond on day one”
Prominent language
speculative bubblepump and dump200 jobs is a liebond on day one
Narrative coding
Audience comments
98 enriched
High engagement6343 likes
as someone who works at a datacenter. The whole datacenter is ran with about 20 people. so 200 is a blatant lie.
Typical frame5415 likes
I prefer having drinking water to ever having AI exist
High engagement5298 likes
It's a pump and dump plan and simple
Correction / alternative2507 likes
For those who didn't catch it, closed loop and open loop were references to the use of the water for cooling.
Typical frame2406 likes
As an ai engineer for a vc firm...he's absolutely correct
The policy fault line is not only whether to regulate, but whether decades-long tax treatment can be reopened once granted.
Supporting evidenceTranscript evidence
Policy lock-inYouTube user captions
“some of the biggest companies ... have this tax break going for 30 years”
Incentive challengeYouTube user captions
“this data center tax break is not needed”
Views
547
Likes
6
Comments
1
Place
Columbus, OH
Source languageThe legislation went off the rails over tax abatement; data centers currently get a 100% break on sales taxes.
Evidence 23Language + comments
Analyst summaryPolicy analysis
High confidence
A long-form policy discussion explains how an Ohio rules package broke down over sales-tax abatements despite broader agreement on water and self-generation provisions.
Transcript evidence
YouTube user captions
Policy lock-in
“some of the biggest companies ... have this tax break going for 30 years”
Incentive challenge
“this data center tax break is not needed”
Regulatory package
“water usage and creating your own electricity if you're a huge megawatt user”
Prominent language
100% breaktax break going for 30 yearscreate your own electricitybill died
Narrative coding
Audience comments
Collection gap
Comment text not collected
The platform reported one comment. No separate comment enrichment was run for this long-form policy clip.
A construction fence becomes visible evidence of Perry Township secrecy
Analyst synthesis
A mundane fence makes an abstract transparency complaint tangible; the creator then localizes the stakes through township, school, road, family, and house.
Southern Ohio community embraces the world's largest AI data center
Analyst synthesis
The sharp source-audience gap matters: a jobs-and-redevelopment story is decoded by viewers as media spin, oligarchy, and private gain.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Progress framingYouTube auto captions
“where the future begins and the American people win”
High engagement273 likes
“I highly doubt anyone is embracing it, unless they're earning a lot of money off of it”
Views
24.6K
Likes
515
Comments
528
Place
Pike County, OH
Source languagePeople around this Cold War site are embracing the opportunity to repurpose a dirty past by rebuilding a future with AI.
Evidence 25Language + comments
Analyst summaryPro-development frame
High confidence
A report presents the campus as industrial reuse and regional renewal, but its comment thread overwhelmingly rejects the claim that the community embraces the project.
Transcript evidence
YouTube auto captions
Progress framing
“where the future begins and the American people win”
Industrial reuse
“a perfect fit ... for the massive new data center”
Community consent claim
“welcoming the new mega data center with open arms”
Prominent language
the future beginsperfect fitopen armsmedia spin
Narrative coding
Audience comments
30 enriched
High engagement273 likes
I highly doubt anyone is embracing it, unless they're earning a lot of money off of it
Typical frame249 likes
No good will come from this. Government and corporations are not your friend.
Ohio data center boom raises questions about power bills and safeguards
Analyst synthesis
Measured reporting still produces categorical audience language: no community benefit, billionaire control, and costs spilling onto residents.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Household burdenYouTube auto captions
“the electric bill when it becomes higher than most people's car payments, that's significant”
High engagement62 likes
“They'll tell you their facilities are quiet, bring community money, and won't cost you a thing. We're in serious trouble with these.”
Views
6.5K
Likes
178
Comments
107
Place
Northeast Ohio
Source languageIt is clear we need more safeguards to keep their costs from spilling onto us.
Evidence 26Language + comments
Analyst summaryInvestigative / contested
High confidence
A five-minute explainer separates multiple causes of rising electric bills while concluding that safeguards are needed to prevent data center costs from reaching households.
Transcript evidence
YouTube auto captions
Household burden
“the electric bill when it becomes higher than most people's car payments, that's significant”
Cost escalation
“their power bill spiked, then soared, up about 60% last winter”
Industry response
“major data center companies say they're committed to paying their fair share”
Prominent language
higher than car paymentsspiked, then soaredfair sharecosts spilling onto us
Narrative coding
Audience comments
30 enriched
High engagement62 likes
They'll tell you their facilities are quiet, bring community money, and won't cost you a thing. We're in serious trouble with these.
Typical frame41 likes
The one truth is that data centers have no positive aspect to give the surrounding communities. Zero. Zilch. Nada!
Typical frame34 likes
Nobody wants them except tech billionaires and their cronies. It's a handful of billionaires vs everyone else.
A Sidney creator reduces the local deal to taxes, water, power, and jobs
Analyst synthesis
The rhetorical form is prosecutorial: zero taxes, high water and power, residential siting, and few jobs are stacked before the audience is asked for a rebuttal.
Supporting evidenceTranscript + comment
Fiscal claimTikTok automatic speech recognition
“paying zero in taxes for 30 years”
High engagement271 likes
“How can a city official sign an NDA when operating on behalf of the city?”
Views
27.7K
Likes
2.1K
Comments
247
Place
Sidney, Shelby County
Source languageIf someone wants to explain how this is a good deal for Sidney, please let me know.
Evidence 27Language + comments
Analyst summaryOpposition / deal critique
Medium confidence
A political creator packages a local development agreement into a concise ledger of asserted costs and benefits, ending with an invitation to defend the deal.
Transcript evidence
TikTok automatic speech recognition
Fiscal claim
“paying zero in taxes for 30 years”
Water scale
“one million gallons per day”
Benefit contrast
“all for the grand total of 75 jobs a year”
Prominent language
zero taxes for 30 yearsone million gallons75 jobsno one wants this
Narrative coding
Audience comments
100 enriched
High engagement271 likes
How can a city official sign an NDA when operating on behalf of the city?
Mobilization115 likes
Vote Dr. Amy Acton, Nov. 2026
Mobilization102 likes
Please vote Dr. Amy Acton for governor this November! Vivek Ramaswamy has promised to build more data centers and crypto mining firms!
Typical frame58 likes
Why are we letting this happen
Typical frame51 likes
I live in Vandalia but work in Sidney and no one wants this.
Cleveland City Council approves a three-month moratorium on data centers
Analyst synthesis
The final clip closes the decision window: broad anti-buildout discourse becomes a temporary pause and a formal policy-design process.
Supporting evidenceTranscript evidence
Formal decisionYouTube auto captions
“declared a 3-month moratorium on data centers in the city by a vote of 14 to 1”
Policy designYouTube auto captions
“a data center working group will develop recommendations”
Views
622
Likes
7
Comments
8
Place
Cleveland, OH
Source languageCouncil declared a three-month moratorium on data centers in the city by a vote of 14 to 1.
Evidence 28Language + comments
Analyst summaryFormal action
High confidence
Council converts the proposed pause into policy by a 14-1 vote and assigns a working group to recommend siting and review standards for future projects.
Transcript evidence
YouTube auto captions
Formal decision
“declared a 3-month moratorium on data centers in the city by a vote of 14 to 1”
Policy design
“a data center working group will develop recommendations”
Siting control
“determine where those new data centers should be located”
Prominent language
14 to 1three-month moratoriumworking groupwhere projects should be located
Narrative coding
Audience comments
7 enriched
Comment text not collected
Seven comments were collected, but the thread discussed the report's Flock camera segment rather than data centers.