Police Evict Data Center Opponent at Birmingham Council Meeting, 2026

Key Points

• Forcible Removal by Law Enforcement: Former elected school board official Terri Michal was physically removed by Birmingham police officers from a city council public comment session on Tuesday.
• Allegations of Silencing and Misrepresentation: Michal alleges that Birmingham City Council President Wardine T. Alexander intentionally misrepresented previous discussions to deny her the right to speak and hide transparency issues.
• Procedural Violation Disputed: The confrontation stems from City Code Section 2-2-11, which bars citizens from addressing the council at consecutive meetings, though Michal argues the rules were unevenly applied and weaponised.
• Opposition to Nebius Data Center: Michal has become a prominent public figure opposing a controversial $90 million, 79-acre technology project, citing critical environmental risks to the local air, water, and soil.
• Political Resistance and Mobilisation: Despite her eviction, Michal teamed up with Alabama State Representative Juandalynn Givan to launch a public awareness campaign and coordinate a large-scale demonstration scheduled for June 27, 2026.

Birmingham (Birmingham Express) June 24, 2026 – A prominent former municipal official and community activist was forcibly removed by local police officers from a Birmingham City Council meeting on Tuesday following an intense procedural dispute over public comment protocols. Terri Michal, a veteran of Birmingham politics who served on the Birmingham Board of Education between 2017 and 2021, was physically escorted out of the public chamber after attempting to address city leaders regarding a highly contested $90 million data center project. The incident has intensified local scrutiny surrounding democratic transparency, municipal speech regulations, and corporate accountability within the city’s legislative processes.

The physical eviction occurred during the public comment section of the weekly meeting when Michal was called to the podium to speak. According to public records and live stream footage, City Council President Wardine T. Alexander intervened, citing administrative rules that restrict citizens from addressing the governing body in consecutive weeks on the same subject matter. Michal, who has established herself as a leading voice against the lack of transparency surrounding the newly approved Nebius data center facility, claims she was denied her constitutional right to petition the government without receiving an initial administrative warning or explicit directive from the council chair before physical intervention by law enforcement.

What Happened During the Tuesday Council Meeting?

As reported by Apryl Marie Fogel of 1819 News, the situation escalated rapidly when Michal approached the microphone after her name was called to speak. Instead of being permitted to read her prepared remarks, she was immediately confronted by Council President Alexander regarding her continuous appearance at recent municipal sessions.

Writing in an immediate social media report published after her removal from the legislative chamber, Terri Michal stated:

“They called my name. I walked up. The president misrepresented comments she made to me at a previous meeting and used that as an excuse to shut me down so I couldn’t address them. What in the world are they afraid of??”

The physical ejection that followed stunned onlookers, as uniform officers stepped forward to guide the former school board member away from the podium and out of the public gallery. Reflecting on the sudden escalation and the lack of traditional procedural steps, Michal wrote:

“I wasn’t warned, the President of the Council didn’t tell anyone to throw me out…yet there I am….. forcibly being removed.”

What Is the Legislative Rule Cited by Birmingham Officials?

At the core of the procedural gridlock that led to Michal’s sudden removal is a strict codification within the municipal regulations governing public participation. According to official statutory texts, City Code Section 2-2-11 explicitly states:

“No person shall be allowed to address the city council at two consecutive meetings unless granted by the city council.”

As reported by Apryl Marie Fogel of 1819 News, council leadership utilised this specific operational standard to deny Michal her slot at the microphone. However, Michal has vehemently countered this interpretation, claiming that the legislative body routinely ignores its own guidelines depending on the topic being presented, and that the council failed to execute the proper democratic votes necessary to grant an exception or formally declare her out of order.

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How Did Terri Michal Respond to Her Forced Eviction?

Rather than retreating from the political sphere, Michal instantly launched a multi-platform digital counter-campaign. She recorded a series of detailed video messages directly detailing her version of the events, which she distributed widely across social media networks to draw attention to the council’s aggressive tactics.

In a statement comparing her current treatment to her historical tenure as an elected official who lost a close run-off election in 2025, Michal observed:

“Never, in a million years, would we have treated a citizen that way when I was an elected official. What we would have done, and what they could have done, is to vote to allow me to speak after hearing my valid complaint.”

Michal further accused the remaining members of the city council of administrative complicity and cowardice for failing to intervene as the police escorted her away. Michal continued in her social media brief:

“They were all there when she and another councillor told me about the policy that you couldn’t speak for two consecutive weeks about the same item. Yet today they ALL chose to stay quiet and allow THEIR policy to be broken by throwing me out without the presiding officer requesting it.”

Why Are Local Citizens Opposing the Nebius Data Center?

The underlying catalyst for this political clash is an ongoing local battle regarding industrial zoning and public safety. As reported by Apryl Marie Fogel of 1819 News, the multinational technology corporation Nebius recently completed a massive $90 million real estate transaction, acquiring 79 acres of land within the Birmingham city limits to construct a high-capacity data center network.

While city administrators have championed the project as a major economic win for the tech infrastructure sector, Michal and a growing group of local residents argue that the approval process lacked proper public notification, environmental impact assessments, and regulatory oversight. The council officially passed the overarching data center ordinance on June 9th, sparking fears regarding the massive natural resource footprint these facilities require.

What Environmental Risks Have Activists Identified?

Data centers are notorious for their immense consumption of electrical power and millions of gallons of water required daily to cool massive server architecture. In her public manifestos, Michal has warned that the current ordinance lacks fundamental guarantees to safeguard residential neighborhoods located adjacent to the 79-acre industrial site.

In an urgent call to action broadcasted across her media platforms, Michal explained the stakes confronting the local population:

“All of Birmingham needs these common-sense protections added to the data center ordinance that was passed on June 9th. Without these amendments, we won’t know if our air, water and/or soil has been contaminated until it’s too late. Are you sick of companies polluting our water and getting off with a slap on the wrist? Do you want to prevent another industrial site from contaminating our soil?”

How Is State Leadership Intervening in the Dispute?

The municipal incident has expanded past local city hall politics into the state legislative arena. Following the confrontation, Alabama State Representative Juandalynn Givan, a Democrat representing Birmingham, intervened by hosting a joint Facebook Live broadcast alongside Michal.

During the broadcast, State Rep. Givan strongly condemned the heavy-handed actions of the municipal police force and the city council leadership. Givan utilized her legislative platform to grant Michal the uninterrupted time necessary to present her specific data center grievances and to raise serious structural questions regarding how municipal executives have managed the multimillion-dollar transaction behind closed doors.

What Are the Next Steps for the Protesters?

The confrontation at city hall has served to catalyze, rather than suppress, the local opposition movement. Michal has consolidated support from various neighborhood associations to organize an organized public pushback designed to force municipal leaders to alter their current legislative framework.

Vowing that she will not be silenced by the threat of physical removal or legal intimidation, Michal is actively organizing a major public demonstration scheduled for June 27, 2026. Urging residents from all districts of the city to mobilize, Michal stated:

“Join us in demonstrating the power of the people!! The next data center could be near YOU!! These amendments will protect all of Birmingham. Stand up and be counted, your voice absolutely can make a difference!”

The upcoming rally will focus on pressuring the Birmingham City Council to adopt rigorous environmental amendments to the June 9th ordinance, demanding mandatory transparency clauses, continuous pollution monitoring, and strict ecological penalties before Nebius breaks ground on its 79-acre industrial complex.