In February, police in Claremore, Oklahoma arrested farmer Darren Blanchard for speaking a little too long during a community meeting about data centers. The city charged Blanchard with criminal trespass, a crime with a $200 penalty, but he’s vowed to fight the charge. He recently shared video of the bodycam footage for the first time with 404 Media and answered our questions about the moment cops arrested him for going over his time at a February 17 community meeting of the Claremore City Council.
The plan in February was for the City Council to listen to the concerns citizens had about a planned data center called Project Mustang. The residents of Claremore don’t want the data center and largely feel like the construction project was approved without their input. City officials signed non-disclosure agreements on behalf of the project’s developers and haven’t been forthcoming with details about its construction.
Blanchard told 404 Media that his legal team filed a motion to dismiss the charge and requested the city’s attorney recuse himself as he was present at the city council meeting and witnessed the arrest.
“I continue to maintain that my arrest was retaliatory, as I was engaging in protected speech at a public meeting. These actions as well as the undue resulting responses by the City of Claremore should raise major concern,” Blanchard said. “For now, I am allowing the legal process to move forward at whatever pace that may be. I am confident the truth will eventually come out, and remain steadfast in that this charge should never have been brought in the first place.”
