ALT #ForUsNotAmazon is on a brief pause until January 4, 2024. During this time, we ask that you consider supporting the housing organizing of our member @lacolectiva703, who organizes directly with residents of Barcroft who face displacement and gentrification by Amazon's #HousingEquityFund and #HQ2. Be sure to sign the petition to #MakeBarcroftAffordable (bit.ly/23Barcroft), sign up for canvassing in Jan. (bit.ly/Canvassing4LC), & make a financial donation to @lacolectiva703.

ALT Graphic with text, In Frederick Co, MD, there is again another effort underway to build data centers in the foothills of Sugarloaf Mountain. The development plans look just like AWS’ plans, which the Sugarloaf Alliance previously fought off. Frederick County records recently Released (by court order) + Council Member comments make it clear that data center development in the foothills of Sugarloaf Mountain continues to be a threat. Sign the Sugarloaf Alliance’s petition! https://chng.it/JDQCK6kMpB. Image of Ferederick Co. data center site map. FUNA logo.

ALT White and black text on a purple background around an image of Amazon data centers built very close to a neighborhood in Aldie, VA. Text reads, “AI boom has triggered investment in data centers on a massive scale. Amazon’s $87B Data Center Empire. On what was recently farmland, Amazon data centers have been built as close as 50 feet from residential houses in the Loudoun Meadows neighborhood in Aldie, VA. Photo: Jami Chikwendiu/The Washington Post. Amazon operates, or is in the process of building or planning, 102 data centers in northern Virginia. Together, the facilities, when they are all up and running, will have emergency generators capable of producing more that 4.6 gigawatts of power. That’s almost enough backup electrical capacity to light up all of New York City on an average day. Source: Geiger, Thomas, & Barr w/Business Insider (Oct 13, 2023).” FUNA’s logo is in the bottom center.

ALT White text on a grey background of Gazan ruins says, “FUNA stands with Palestinians and with Amazon and Google workers who resist corporate complicity in genocide and apartheid. Text is to the right of an image of the statement put out by Amazon and Google workers; if you would like the full alt text of the pro-Palestenian statement, reach out. Underneath the white text is a black url which reads, “notechforapartheid.com” FUNA’s logo is in the upper right corner.

ALT Black text on white boxes on a purple background. Text reads, “Backdoor Deals in Warrenton, VA. Community representatives seek transparency between town officials who have withheld over 3,000 emails between officials and Amazon, and approved Amazon’s plans for a Data Center in Warrenton with redacted site plans.” In the upper left corner there is an image of what the data center is projected to look like, with the caption, “A rendering of the Amazon data center approved for Blackwell Road in Warrenton.” The building is a large brown and white structure. In the bottom right corner there is an image of one of the redacted pages of Amazon’s site plans, with the caption, “One of more than 45 pages of the 116-page site development plan for Amazon’s Warrenton data center that are redacted. Mostly for security reasons, Amazon says.” FUNA’s logo is in the bottom left corner.

ALT Black text on the shape of a white quotation mark against an orange background. Text reads, “on FTC Announcement of Amazon Lawsuit,” followed by a quote attributed to Stacy Mitchell, Executive Director of Institute for Local Self-Reliance & founding member of the Athena Coalition. Quote reads, “Today’s action to break Amazon’s monopoly control over online commerce is great news for Americans. For too long Amazon has been allowed to maintain a stranglehold on the online market. It’s used its power to thwart competition, bleed small businesses dry, exploit workers, and take advantage of consumers. At the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, we’ve long warned of the threat Amazon’s monopoly poses. Today, we applaud the FTC and its dedicated and valiant staff for taking action to end Amazon’s monopolization. The filing of this lawsuit is a victory for freedom and self-governance; it marks a crucial rekindling of public authority to check unaccountable private power.”

ALT Black and white text on a purple background reads, “Racist AI: Amazon’s Future. Amazon announced its latest tech launch at #HQPoo earlier this month, citing generative AI as the future for several products such as the Echo Hub and Frames. By investing so much into AI as the future of Amazon, FUNA remains concerned about the built-in surveillance of our communities, as well as the history of racism that is long inherent in AI.” To the right of the text in the bottom right corner is FUNA’s logo. Around the text are three images of the product launch; one of David Limp on the stage addressing an audience, one of the Echo Frames, and one of an individual looking at an Echo Show 8. White text on an orange background reads, “Find out more: bit.ly/AI_and_Surveillance”

ALT Black and white text reads, "Amazon eligible to receive $140 MILLION buried in approved state budget. Virginia elected officials would rather give $140 million of the people's money to Amazon, instead of fully funding schools, affordable housing, benefits for food and basic necessities, job training programs, infrastructure, and so much more. Source: Sarah Vogelsong w/Virginia Mercury (Sept 5, 2023)." $140 MILLION is on an orange starburst on a purple background above some white clouds. FUNA's logo is in the upper left corner.

ALT Text on a white file folder shape outlined in orange. Bold, black text on the label area of the folder reads, “Amazon Web Services (AWS) Data Centers Fact Sheet.” Dividers in the folder are also outlined in orange, and read, “Lack of Accountability & Transparency,” “Environment Degradation,” “Harm to Local Communities,” “Surveillance Infrastructure,” and “Billions in Incentives That Would Be Better Spent Elsewhere.” The divider on the topic “Harm to Local Communities” is ‘open’ to see a comment from Glenda G., Tenant Organizer, LaColectiVA, “Data centers play a role in gentrification, pushing communities out of their homes when they settle in. Next developers come in because they care about money, making profits, and pushing us out. The County officials also have a hand in this by letting this happen.” Similarly, the topic, “Billions in Incentives That Would Be Better Spent Elsewhere,” is slightly ‘open’ to show bold text which reads, “$35 Billion, largest investment in VA history.”

ALT Bold black text on an orange background reads, “⅓ NoVA families face ‘income inadequacy’.” Below title is a bar graph of Monthly Expenses and Average Wages in Northern Virginia. The upper, mustard-colored bar represents monthly wages. The lower bars represent monthly costs, and are split up by housing costs (dark blue), childcare costs (light blue), and other costs (gray). In 2019, monthly wages were $6400 and monthly costs were $6300, with other costs taking up almost half, and housing/childcare splitting the other half. In 2021, monthly wages were $7600 and monthly costs were $7200, with childcare costs increasing to be more than housing, but still less than other costs. In 2023, monthly wages are $7700 and monthly costs are $7900, with each section on the lower bar increasing relatively, but keeping the ranking of costs the same. To the right of the bar graph, small black text reads, “About a third of families across Northern Virginia are not earning enough money to subsist, dubbed

ALT screenshot of zoom with text, Policing, Displacement, & Environmental Destruction: Amazon's Harms Across Our Communities. September 7, 2023. Small zoom windows with individual pictures are at the top.