Drop Your Lawsuit Threat Against Ypsilanti Township, University of Michigan
The Issue
The University of Michigan is threatening to sue a small Michigan township — not because the township broke the law, but because its elected leaders dared to ask questions about a massive data center that could reshape their community forever.
In April 2025, the Ypsilanti Township board voted to pause water service to new data centers for 365 days while it studied the potential impact on the local water supply. This is exactly the kind of deliberate, democratic decision-making that local government is supposed to do. In response, the University of Michigan threatened legal action, claiming the moratorium was "unlawfully discriminatory" — toward a data center.
The University of Michigan should not be using its legal power to bully a working-class township into submission.
This facility, planned in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory, is designed in part to run simulations that support America's nuclear weapons program. Residents of Ypsilanti Township showed up to board meetings. They asked questions. They cited legitimate concerns about water use, electricity costs, noise, and environmental risk. Their township board listened and responded — carefully and within its legal authority.
Rather than engaging honestly with the community, the University chose legal intimidation. At a June 16 board meeting, hundreds of residents spoke up and the entire board publicly vowed to fight. Board Supervisor Brend Stumbo put it plainly: "We will fight to our very last breath, but we need help. And we need it from the people who have the power to stop things."
We are answering that call.
Ypsilanti Township is not an obstacle. It is a community of real people who have every right to understand what is being built in their backyard — and to protect their water. A public university that serves the people of Michigan should not be threatening to sue those same people for asking legitimate questions.
We call on University of Michigan President-Elect Kent Syverud and the University of Michigan Board of Regents to immediately withdraw any legal threats against Ypsilanti Township, respect the township's democratic process, and return to the table in good faith.
If the University believes this facility is right for this community, it should be able to make that case with transparency — not with lawyers.
Image by Nick Amoscato
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The Issue
The University of Michigan is threatening to sue a small Michigan township — not because the township broke the law, but because its elected leaders dared to ask questions about a massive data center that could reshape their community forever.
In April 2025, the Ypsilanti Township board voted to pause water service to new data centers for 365 days while it studied the potential impact on the local water supply. This is exactly the kind of deliberate, democratic decision-making that local government is supposed to do. In response, the University of Michigan threatened legal action, claiming the moratorium was "unlawfully discriminatory" — toward a data center.
The University of Michigan should not be using its legal power to bully a working-class township into submission.
This facility, planned in partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory, is designed in part to run simulations that support America's nuclear weapons program. Residents of Ypsilanti Township showed up to board meetings. They asked questions. They cited legitimate concerns about water use, electricity costs, noise, and environmental risk. Their township board listened and responded — carefully and within its legal authority.
Rather than engaging honestly with the community, the University chose legal intimidation. At a June 16 board meeting, hundreds of residents spoke up and the entire board publicly vowed to fight. Board Supervisor Brend Stumbo put it plainly: "We will fight to our very last breath, but we need help. And we need it from the people who have the power to stop things."
We are answering that call.
Ypsilanti Township is not an obstacle. It is a community of real people who have every right to understand what is being built in their backyard — and to protect their water. A public university that serves the people of Michigan should not be threatening to sue those same people for asking legitimate questions.
We call on University of Michigan President-Elect Kent Syverud and the University of Michigan Board of Regents to immediately withdraw any legal threats against Ypsilanti Township, respect the township's democratic process, and return to the table in good faith.
If the University believes this facility is right for this community, it should be able to make that case with transparency — not with lawyers.
Image by Nick Amoscato
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Petition created on June 24, 2026