Boxtown, Tennessee is one of Memphis’s oldest Black neighborhoods. It is a place with deep roots and generations of families who have lived, worked, and built their lives there. Now, residents say their air has turned toxic and their health is suffering.

The source, they believe, is Elon Musk’s massive AI data center known as the Colossus supercomputer.

Built by Musk’s company xAI, the Colossus facility is being blamed for releasing chemical-smelling pollution, drying up neighborhood faucets, and contributing to respiratory issues among residents. Elders in the community say they can no longer open their windows or walk outside like they used to. Some are recovering from cancer. Others are coughing up mucus and struggling to breathe.

This community has faced environmental injustice for decades. Now a private tech company is making things worse. The fact that Boxtown is a predominantly Black, working-class neighborhood is not lost on its residents. They know they are being overlooked.

To make matters worse, xAI is now building a second facility nearby. Residents have not been given full transparency or protection. Instead, they are being asked to sacrifice their health for someone else's profits.

We call on the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Memphis City Council, and the Shelby County Health Department to launch an independent investigation into xAI's environmental impact in Boxtown. All expansion plans must be paused until the air and water are proven safe and the community has a say in what happens next.

Boxtown deserves clean air, safe water, and a future without pollution. No one should have to give up their health just to live in their own neighborhood.

Sign this petition to stand with Boxtown and demand real accountability from Elon Musk’s company and the public officials who allowed this to happen.

 
 Photo: Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images