Anti-Data Center Campaign Targeted Lawmaker Whose House Was Shot Up

An Indiana lawmaker’s home was shot weeks after left-wing activist groups targeted him, social media posts reviewed by The Daily Wire show.

Just days after City Councilor Rob Gibson announced his support for a proposed data center in the Martindale Brightwood neighborhood, a gunman fired 13 times at his house, where Gibson and his family, including his 8-year-old son, were sleeping. A note that read “No Data Centers” was left at his front door. 

Social media posts reviewed by The Daily Wire show organizers encouraging residents to contact Gibson to opposed the data center. In one post, activists urged supporters to call residents and connect them with Gibson’s office to voice their concerns. The Indivisible Chapter for Central Indiana’s Facebook page urged allies to “bring a smartphone + charger,” adding, “Our dialing system provides scripts.” The group offered two days to join in for phone calls with “multiple slots” for people to sign up. 

The group’s post on X was even more hostile towards Gibson. “There is no support for it [the data center], but Councilor Rob Gibson is committed to delivering on behalf of the developer.” The group added they had spoken with hundreds of residents and “mobilized with community partners to oppose this project.” 

The Daily Wire previously reported on data from the American Energy Institute that both the Sierra Club and Indivisible received funding from foreign left-wing billionaire donors. According to the report, Indivisible received $7.5 million and the Sierra Club received $2.1 million. 

Founder of the American Energy Institute Jason Isaac said, “When organizations name officials, script pressure campaigns, and mobilize activists against specific individuals, it raises serious concerns about escalation and the potential for intimidation.” He told the Daily Wire the Department of Justice should investigate for signs of coordination after his report showed “which Isaac said showed a “coordinated network of activist groups backed by tens of millions of dollars in foreign funding, organizing targeted campaigns against policymakers at the local level.”

The data center has been controversial with months of protests against the project, which is set to be built on an old drive-in movie theater between two residential streets. Metrobloks is planning to build two large buildings, a parking lot, backup generators, and cooling systems. Representatives from Metrobloks argue the data center will help the community by expanding the local tax base and bringing an estimated $500 million to the neighborhood. The company stated they would also cover the infrastructure and utility costs so the burden didn’t fall on local taxpayers. 

Community organizers cite concerns with air pollution, rising electricity costs, and other environmental issues. The Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter said they were “advocating on behalf of the environment, the climate, and our communities.”

Gibson said he and his eight-year-old son were sleeping when the bullets struck his house at 12:45am on Monday. “Just steps from where those bullets struck is our dining room table, where my son had been playing with his legos the day before,” said Gibson.

Gibson said despite the disagreement between those opposed to the center and those in favor, “violence is never the answer.” The FBI and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security are investigating the incident.