Darren Blanchard is an Oklahoma farmer, rancher, and citizen activist who has become one of the state's most recognizable advocates for government transparency and local control. He has spent years attending public meetings, filing open records requests, and challenging elected officials over major development projects, particularly large data center proposals that he believes could place enormous demands on Oklahoma's water and electrical infrastructure. Rather than accepting official assurances at face value, Blanchard has built a reputation for asking difficult questions and encouraging ordinary residents to become more involved in local government.

His activism gained national attention after a Claremore City Council meeting in February 2026, where he spoke during the public comment period about a controversial proposed data center project. After slightly exceeding the council's speaking time—by just a few seconds, much of which followed audience applause—he was ordered away from the podium. When he attempted to finish his remarks and provide documents to city officials, police arrested him inside the council chambers and charged him with misdemeanor criminal trespass. The arrest was wildly disproportionate to the circumstances, transforming what should have been a routine public meeting into a troubling example of a citizen being taken into custody for attempting to address his own government.

Critics of the arrest argue that the city used a minor procedural rule as a pretext to silence one of its most persistent critics. Body-camera footage released afterward fueled those concerns, with supporters contending that Blanchard was punished not because he posed a threat or created a genuine disturbance, but because he refused to abandon his criticism of public officials and a politically connected development project. Civil liberties advocates have pointed to the incident as an example of how local governments can chill public participation when police power is used to remove outspoken citizens from public meetings.

Blanchard has pleaded not guilty, and the criminal case remains pending. His attorneys argue that his arrest violated the First Amendment and represented unconstitutional retaliation against protected political speech. Regardless of how the courts ultimately rule, the case has become a rallying point for supporters of free speech, open government, and the principle that citizens should be able to question their elected officials without fearing arrest for speaking a few seconds too long at a public meeting.

Attorney Marc Dann has devoted his entire legal career to fighting for homeowners, consumers and small businesses beginning with his tenure as the Antitrust Director in the office of the West Virginia Attorney General and continuing today at DannLaw, the consumer protection law firm he founded and manages. The firm, which maintains offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Westwood, New Jersey, and New York, New York, is a national leader in utilizing the provisions of the Real Estate Settlement Act (RESPA) and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) to bring legal claims against and secure monetary damages from banks and mortgage loan servicers that abuse, cheat, and or defraud borrowers.

Marc represented Data Center Resistance in filing an amicus brief in the Ohio Supreme Court support of the residents of Ashville, Ohio in their fight against a data center construction project.

Sam is 1000 Friends of Oregon’s Executive Director. His work steers 1000 Friends of Oregon’s efforts toward meeting our fiscal, policy, and strategic goals while advancing our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

He received his B.A. in Geography, Sociology, and Anthropology from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and his J.D. with a certificate in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. He brings extensive experience from working in political administrations at the state and local levels as well as conservation philanthropy serving the American West. 

Sam is well acquainted with Oregon’s land use planning system. In 2014 and in 2018, Sam successfully expanded our community education programs, coalition-building, and policy advocacy. Most recently, Sam served as the Senior Policy Advisor at the City of Portland in the Mayor’s Office. 

Sam grew up in Redding and Red Bluff, California on the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley. Sam is proud of his family’s story: he grew up there because of his family’s hard work in the fields, orchards, and dams as part of the Bracero Program — an agreement between the U.S. and Mexican governments that permitted Mexican citizens to take agricultural work in the United States. He looks forward to listening and working with all Oregonians who call rural parts of our state home. 

Governor Tom McCall famously said that "Oregon is an inspiration." Sam is inspired in spaces that unite people together: From hiking trails and viewpoints to county fairs and the Oregon State Fair to 1000 Friends of Oregon’s gala.    

During his time off work, Sam likes to spend time with his family and friends backpacking, stand-up paddleboarding, playing tennis (or anything with a net, really), cooking (so many great cookbooks written by local chefs), and enjoying movies and music. He calls Portland home with his partner, dog, and cat.

Jim Walsh is the National Policy Director at the environmental advocacy nonprofit Food & Water Watch. He leads the organization's regional and national campaigns to protect public health, enforce environmental protections, and challenge corporate interests across the climate and energy sectors. Under his policy direction, Food & Water Watch spearheads major campaigns focused on:

Anti-Fossil Fuel Advocacy: Leading pushes for nationwide bans on fracking, stopping liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, and eliminating polluting carbon capture subsidies (like the 45Q tax credits). 

Protecting Water: Fighting against dangerous carbon dioxide injection wells and the privatization of water utilities.

Regulating AI Energy Demands: Advocating for moratoriums on new data centers that strain local water resources and require massive fossil fuel-powered electricity generation. 

Karen Feridun is an environmental activist from Reading Pennsylvania. In 2010, she founded Berks Gas Truth, a community group against Fracking. She is also a co-founder of the Better Path Coalition, an organization committed to forging a path towards a clean renewable energy future. Most recently, she has set her sights on stopping the out of control data center expansion in Pennsylvania.