Police arrested a 37-year-old man in Kansas after he allegedly clapped to express opposition to a data center in a city commission meeting after officials warned attendees they would be removed for disruptive behavior, including clapping, snapping, or rude comments.
Lux Claridge, an Emporia High School physics teacher, was arrested for allegedly clapping during the meeting.
“Claridge and several others clapped in support of speakers opposing the Flint Hills Digital Campus data center,” KWCH reports.
“After commissioners issued a final warning, Claridge continued to clap, leading to their arrest,” it added.
Watch below:
A man clapped once during public comment at a data-center zoning meeting in Emporia, Kansas.
They arrested him.
Remember… no dissent allowed!
Just be silent like an obedient domesticated taxpayer while they fast‑track a data center in your backyard. pic.twitter.com/2iEE41Akwq
— Jason Bassler (@JasonBassler1) July 26, 2026
KWCH has more:
Claridge’s wife, Jessica Danford, was present at the meeting when her husband was removed.
“Seeing them carried out like that was a lot to handle,” Danford said.
Friend Caleb Rankin said the arrest came as a shock.
“Out of all the people that I knew, them getting arrested is — I thought someone used a different name or something,” Rankin said.
Claridge’s brother, David, said he believes the arrest will not hold up legally and said he is exploring options to pursue a recall of city officials.
“This isn’t going to hold up in court. Lux is going to fight them on that. I’m looking at avenues to get these people recalled. This is insane to me,” David Claridge said.
One community member at the meeting said the arrest has left residents uneasy.
“We are citizens of this community; we have a right to do our constitutionally protected activities, which is exactly what they’re violating at this time as well,” the community member said. “I think we’re all in a state of fear because of what this government’s doing to us.”
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Claridge was booked into the Lyon County Jail on charges of interference with law enforcement and disorderly conduct.
“The 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,” the Emporia Police Department stated in a press release.
Claridge is due in court in September, where he intends to plead not guilty.
More from the press release:
During 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.
One individual, Lux Claridge, male, 37years of age, continued this behavior and was directed to leave the meeting. Claridge did not comply with law enforcement’s efforts to remove him from the premises, requiring officers to physically carry him out of the meeting.
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