{"id":5628,"date":"2026-07-29T08:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5628"},"modified":"2026-07-29T08:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T08:36:09","slug":"kansas-high-school-teacher-dragged-out-arrested-for-clapping-at-city-meeting-over-proposed-data-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5628","title":{"rendered":"Kansas high school teacher dragged out, arrested for clapping at city meeting over proposed data center"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A<\/em>Kansas high school teacher was arrested and dragged out of a contentious city zoning meeting for continuously clapping in opposition to a proposed data center.<\/p>\n

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Lux Claridge was yanked out of a chair by three police officers and carried out of the Emporia City Commission meeting on July 22 for seemingly disobeying the mayor\u2019s orders regarding clapping against the controversial Flint Hills Digital Campus data center proposed in Emporia, Kansas, the Emporia Police said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the course of the meeting, several individuals in attendance were issued verbal warnings by the City Commission regarding disruptive conduct that was interrupting the proceedings.<\/p>\n

Claridge, a 37-year-old physics teacher at Emporia High School, was among the dozen residents in the audience who opposed the data center, according to KWCH.<\/p>\n

Several oppositionists gave comments and testimonials against the 1,000-acre, gigawatt-scale project that garnered rounds of applause, which provoked one board official to call for order against the clapping that was \u201crude and disruptive.\u201d<\/p>\n

After another woman\u2019s comments, several audience members gave silent jazz hand applause, but Claridge clapped roughly five times, prompting Mayor Becky Smith to call for police action.<\/p>\n

Officers surrounded Claridge, who had been sitting waiting to speak, and ordered the resident to leave the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, I\u2019d like to speak,\u201d Claridge told the officers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a right to clap,\u201d Claridge can be heard saying, before telling officers to \u201cdrag me out\u201d of the meeting.<\/p>\n

Claridge resisted detainment, forcing the officers to carry the clapper out as the teacher\u2019s stunned wife fought back tears at the podium. <\/p>\n

\u201cClaridge did not comply with law enforcement\u2019s efforts to remove him from the premises, requiring officers to physically carry him out of the meeting,\u201d Emporia police said.<\/p>\n

Claridge was arrested and booked into the Lyon County Jail on charges of interference with law enforcement and disorderly conduct.<\/p>\n

Claridge spoke out against the city commission for silencing opponents to the data center after being released from jail on bail, <\/p>\n

Read more The biggest bombshells from Netflix\u2019s \u2018The Idaho Murders\u2019 documentary<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to be out \u2014 but this is an inconvenience, really. It\u2019s not really deterring me from speaking out or I guess, clapping,\u201d Claridge said, according to KWCH.<\/p>\n

Claridge\u2019s family was looking into legal options against city hall, claiming that the arrest \u201crepresents an unjustified infringement on free expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough the stated charges are disorderly conduct and interruption of a government meeting, I find those allegations unlawful and egregious. I was seated directly in front of them and could not even hear the applause,\u201d Claridge\u2019s brother, David Claridge, wrote on Facebook.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe this arrest represents an unjustified infringement on free expression. Lux is a member of our community, a constituent, and a high school teacher,\u201d the younger brother said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn my view, this incident reflects the kind of authoritarian behavior that undermines public trust in local government. As a first amendment absolutist, I cannot abide by the actions of the commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t going to hold up in court. Lux is going to fight them on that. I\u2019m looking at avenues to get these people recalled. This is insane to me,\u201d David Claridge later told KWCH.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Other Emporia residents were left in shock and fear from speaking out against the massive tech project planned to be completed by the middle of 2029.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are citizens of this community; we have a right to do our constitutionally protected activities, which is exactly what they\u2019re violating at this time as well,\u201d an unidentified community member said. \u201cI think we\u2019re all in a state of fear because of what this government\u2019s doing to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The City Commission passed the proposal for the project, allowing the next stage to proceed in development, according to KVOE.<\/p>\n

Police maintained Claridge was innocent until proven guilty but stood by the officer\u2019s actions to obey city officials and remove the educator from the meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Emporia Police Department remains committed to ensuring public meetings are conducted safely and in an orderly manner, while also respecting the rights of all citizens to participate in the civic process,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n

Read more Anthony Fauci\u2019s own diary proves what a despicable villain he truly is<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kansas teacher Lux Claridge was arrested and dragged out of an Emporia city meeting for clapping in opposition to a proposed data center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"yoast_head":"\nKansas high school teacher dragged out, arrested for clapping at city meeting over proposed data center - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=5628\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kansas high school teacher dragged out, arrested for clapping at city meeting over proposed data center - 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