Waving the Bloody Shirt for Granny and the Grandbabies: The $5 Billion Betrayal at Landover Mall
By Barry O’Connell
They thought we wouldn’t notice. They thought we wouldn’t care. They thought we’d be too distracted, too tired, too trusting to realize what was happening right under our noses.
But now the people of Prince George’s County are wide awake—and they’re furious.
More than 15,000 residents signed up to testify against the proposed $5 billion data center at the former Landover Mall site. The hearing was so packed, overflow buildings had to be opened. The crowd was electric. The message was unmistakable: We are not expendable.
This isn’t just a zoning dispute. This is a betrayal. And it’s being orchestrated by a small circle of political insiders who think they can play chess with our lives.
🧠 The Players Behind the Curtain
Let’s name them:
- Wala Blegay, who now proposes a moratorium on data centers—as if delay is a substitute for courage.
- Edward Burroughs, who’s been conspicuously silent while his constituents demand answers.
- Krystal Oriadha, who claims to be shocked by the backlash, yet stood by as this project advanced.
- County Executive Aisha Braveboy, whose administration is advised by none other than Jack Johnson—the disgraced former County Executive who went to federal prison for bribery and extortion.
- And Michael Arrington, a well-connected lobbyist whose father helped elect Jack Johnson, and who now appears to be circling this project like a hawk.
These are the names residents are whispering. These are the names that need to be shouted.
🏠 The Human Cost: Who’s Going to Suffer?
This data center isn’t going in some remote industrial park. It’s being dropped into one of the most densely populated residential zones in the county—right next to the Beltway.
Let’s talk about who lives there:
- Families with toddlers playing in backyards just a quarter-mile from the site.
- Seniors with COPD, heart conditions, and diabetes who deserve peace, not particulate matter.
- Mothers and fathers who worked their whole lives so they could enjoy their twilight years without choking on diesel fumes or losing sleep to industrial noise.
This isn’t just about inconvenience. This is about life and death.
🩸 Waving the Bloody Shirt—for Granny
There’s an old tradition in American politics called waving the bloody shirt—invoking the lives lost in war to shame the opposition. Today, we wave it not for soldiers, but for Granny.
For the 80-year-old woman who might have 15 good years left—until a data center takes 10 of them.
For the grandfather who survived cancer only to have his lungs shredded by diesel exhaust.
For the great-grandbabies who should be growing up strong and happy, not wheezing through childhood with asthma and chronic bronchitis.
This is not theoretical. This is not abstract. This is real harm, inflicted on real people, by real decisions made behind closed doors.
🕵️♂️ Follow the Money, Follow the Motive
The Lerner Corporation owns the land. They have the zoning. They have the lobbyists. And they have the silence of elected officials who should be defending their constituents.
Michael Arrington’s name keeps surfacing. His father helped elect Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson is now advising Braveboy. And Braveboy is presiding over a county where $5 billion in development is being rammed through without transparency, accountability, or basic human decency.
This isn’t just a bad idea. It’s a deliberate act of harm.
🗣️ What Happens Next?
We fight. We testify. We write. We organize. We refuse to let this story die.
Because if we don’t, the next obituary won’t just be for a beloved elder—it’ll be for the soul of Prince George’s County.