Indy vs. Google: If We Unite, We Win

Kristopher Nelson, aka FTF KD, joins this week's show to share the reality of life in a city with a data center. Nelson is from West Memphis, Arkansas and speaks not only about the negative impacts it had on his community but about what we can do to Indianapolis to stop Google's data center before September 22.

In the Naptown Breakdown, our co-hosts Dani Abdullah and Derek Ford get beyond the headlines of Gov. Braun's confirmation he's deploying National Guardspeople to help carry out ICE's terror against immigrants. They show Braun wants to strike more fear into the population and show his submission to Trump's agenda in what is mostly a symbolic act. It is an act that isn't inevitable, as veterans an active-duty soldiers recently met in Martinsville, IN to strategize about their role in the movement. The day before the announcement, community members gathered at the Guru Nanak Sikh Society for an event organized by Umeed-Hope and the Indianapolis Liberation Center. Covered by the Associated Press, they wrote letters to detainees in English, Haitian Creole, and Punjabi while building community and strengthening their ties.

Affirming we have more in common with each other than the ruling class, we cover the latest revelations of the atmosphere of intimidation and silencing Mayor Hogsett is still cultivating and most City-County Councilors are still defending.

But the Councilors are still contending with the power of the people, particularly regarding the growing struggle to stop Google's data center. Kristopher Nelson joins the show to supplement the facts of data centers with his own experience living by one. Most crucially, he and Derek chop it up about the need for unity in struggle without setting aside our differences.

This week's Circle City Shout Out goes to Edith Conchas, an organizer with Touch Grass Indy, a member-organization of the Liberation Center), an artist, and founder of Good Job Signs. Edith is also a first generation Latina–both parents being from Mexico–who specializes in free-handed chalk art for local businesses including Amelia’s, Bluebeard, Stomping Ground, and others. If you have ever been to the Liberation Center, to your right is a mural of Shirley Graham-Du Bois Edith painted.

Before wrapping up, we draw your attention to a few events. The first is “On the Count” by Gina Lee Robbins, an exhibit at the Indianapolis Arts Center that serves as a meditation on the U.S. carceral system. That's on display until October 11. The second is Wednesday, Sept. 10 at the City-County Council at 5:30 to protest the IMPD-the city's most well-funded and well-armed gang-from getting even more of our tax dollars. The third is a reminder to come to Circle City Sangha this and every Saturday between 9:30-11:00 am at the Liberation Center.

Show Notes:

Data Center Slap in Face to Franklin County: https://indyliberationcenter.org/data-center-zoning/

Kristopher Nelson IG: https://www.instagram.com/ftf_kd/

FTF KD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ftfkd

Associated Press Covers Umeed-Hope Liberation Center Event: https://indyliberationcenter.org/video-letters-to-immigrants/

Franklin Township Organizes against Unpopular Data Center: https://indyliberationcenter.org/franklin-township-organizes/

Events

"On the Count" by Gina Lee Robbins: https://indyliberationcenter.org/on-the-count/

Circle City Sangha Mindfulness Meetup: https://indyliberationcenter.org/ccs-2025-09/

Exclusive Preview of New Shaka A. Shakur Documentary: https://indyliberationcenter.org/premiere-shaka-documentary/