FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 13, 2026

Media Contact: Melissa Garriga | [email protected] 

CODEPINK Milwaukee Disrupts Data Center Panel at American Economic Interest Summit

BROOKFIELD, Wis.—CODEPINK Milwaukee activists disrupted the "How Data Centers Shape America’s Security and Tech Future" panel at the American Economic Interest Summit, hosted by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), to protest the expansion of data centers linked to military applications.

The disruption occurred during a discussion on the role of data centers in national security and technological advancement. CODEPINK Milwaukee organizer Chris Jeske stated, "War profiteering, mass surveillance, and military AI have no place in our factories and communities."

The activists targeted the panel to voice opposition to the Vantage Data Centers project in Port Washington, a $15 billion investment involving OpenAI and Oracle. This project is part of the Stargate initiative, aiming to develop artificial intelligence infrastructure. Data centers demand immense resources like “critical” minerals and fossil fuels, driving U.S. warfare on resource-rich regions like Iran and Venezuela, as well as U.S.-backed warfare in the Congo going back decades. In our communities, they devastate local ecosystems, drive up utility costs, consume massive amounts of water, and create deadly long-term health risks. All of this enables the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) for military operations and surveillance. 

Following the disruption, CODEPINK Milwaukee, along with CODEPINK Madison, the Milwaukee Antiwar Committee, and the Black Alliance for Peace Milwaukee, held a picket outside the summit venue to further express their concerns to attendees leaving the event.

For more information about the disruption, please contact Chis at [email protected] 

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