Council member Jason Chavez urged requiring human operators in autonomous vehicles, citing cat deaths, but faced ridicule for prioritizing pet safety over other city issues. An ordinance mandating human operators narrowly passed Thursday, but Mayor Jacob Frey plans to veto it, arguing the requirement would effectively ban the technology.
Minneapolis councilman's claims of autonomous vehicles 'murdering' cats spark social media ridicule
Cats have been killed by these autonomous vehicles. That's unfair.
Mark
So a city council member made an argument about cats, and that became the story instead of the actual debate about autonomous vehicles?
Mimi
That's what happened, yes. Chavez raised a legitimate concern—he said he'd seen evidence of the vehicles hitting cats—but the way he framed it gave his critics an opening. He called it "murder." He appealed to "cat lovers." On social media, that became the whole thing.
Luke
But did he actually provide evidence? The article says he "watched a video" but doesn't say what the video showed or whether it was independently verified. We don't know how many cats, if any, have actually been hit.
Mimi
That's fair. The reporting doesn't establish a baseline for cat deaths caused by Waymo vehicles versus, say, regular traffic. It's one person's claim, and it got drowned out by the mockery.
Mark
Why did the ordinance pass if it was so easy to ridicule?
Mimi
It passed narrowly. The actual argument—that autonomous vehicles pose safety risks and eliminate jobs—is substantive. But once Chavez's language about cats went viral, the focus shifted entirely.
Luke
And the mayor's veto threat suggests the human-operator requirement was never going to survive anyway. So we don't really know if the cat framing helped or hurt the underlying case for regulation.
Mark
What's the actual state of autonomous vehicles in Minneapolis right now?
Mimi
Waymo has been testing them. They're on the streets. The city is trying to figure out how to regulate them. This ordinance was one attempt.
Luke
But we don't have numbers on accidents, injuries, or actual documented pet deaths. We have one council member's claim and a lot of people saying he's wrong. That's not enough to know what's actually happening.
Mark
So the story is really about the gap between what Chavez claimed and what people were willing to believe?
Mimi
It's about that gap, yes. But it's also about how a legitimate regulatory question got turned into a punchline because of how it was communicated.
El Pulso
- Minneapolis city council member Jason Chavez urged requiring human operators in autonomous vehicles, citing cat deaths
- An ordinance mandating human operators in autonomous vehicles passed narrowly on Thursday
- Mayor Jacob Frey plans to veto the ordinance, saying it would effectively ban the technology
- Chavez's salary is $110,000 annually
- Waymo vehicles with rooftop sensors and empty driver seats are operating in Minneapolis
Council member Jason Chavez urged requiring human operators in autonomous vehicles, citing cat deaths, but faced ridicule for prioritizing pet safety over other city issues. An ordinance mandating human operators narrowly passed Thursday, but Mayor Jacob Frey plans to veto it, arguing the requirement would effectively ban the technology.
A Minneapolis city council member's claims that Waymo autonomous vehicles are killing cats prompted widespread social media mockery as the city debates driverless vehicle regulations.
Minneapolis city council member Jason Chavez stood before his colleagues this week with a warning about autonomous vehicles. Waymo cars, he said, were killing cats. He had watched a video from the dais that disturbed him. He owned a cat himself. He wanted the council to require a human operator in every self-driving vehicle on the city's streets, and he appealed directly to what he called "cat lovers" to support the measure.
The ordinance passed narrowly on Thursday. It would mandate that all autonomous vehicles operating in Minneapolis carry a human driver and obtain a special license. But the proposal's future is already in doubt. Mayor Jacob Frey announced plans to veto it, saying the requirement "doesn't make sense" and would amount to a backdoor ban on the technology. The city, he said, should continue pursuing innovative transportation options, even while acknowledging legitimate safety concerns.
Chavez's remarks about cats being "murdered" by Waymo vehicles ignited a wave of mockery across social media. Conservative commentators and columnists seized on the statement as evidence of misplaced priorities in a city facing larger problems. Dustin Grage, a Townhall columnist, posted that the council wanted to require human drivers because of cats being killed, then noted Chavez's annual salary was $110,000. In subsequent posts, Grage wrote "They're calling it the cat genocide" and "Hide your cats. The Waymos are coming." Conservative commentator Gunther Eagleman called it "robot cars 'murdering' cats" and argued Minneapolis should focus instead on crime and fraud. He pointed to the city's history—a police precinct burned during riots, a $250 million fraud scheme—and questioned how a council member earning $110,000 annually could justify prioritizing autonomous vehicle regulation over these failures.
Other voices piled on. Fox News Digital columnist David Marcus posted "They're driving over the cats, they're driving over the dogs!" Jennifer DeJournett, a Three Rivers Park Commissioner, questioned why a council member earned $110,000 when families and seniors were being priced out of their homes and taxes were rising. Several social media users countered Chavez's claims about autonomous vehicles hitting animals. Journalist Zaid Jilani noted he had ridden in a self-driving Tesla that stopped for cats to cross the road, and that Waymo was more advanced. Sean Stapleton, CEO and co-founder of Dealer Teamwork, posted that his Tesla's full self-driving mode avoids animals on the road.
The debate reflects a genuine tension in Minneapolis over autonomous vehicles. Supporters of the ordinance argue the technology poses safety risks and threatens jobs. Opponents counter that requiring a human operator would effectively eliminate autonomous taxi services and drive up fares, making the vehicles less viable as a transportation option. The city has been testing Waymo vehicles with rooftop sensors and empty driver seats, and they have become an increasingly common sight on Minneapolis streets. Frey's veto threat suggests the technology will continue to operate without the human-operator requirement, at least for now. The council's attempt to regulate autonomous vehicles through the lens of pet safety has become a flashpoint in a larger conversation about how quickly cities should embrace driverless technology, and at what cost.
Citas Notables
Cats have been killed and cats have been killed by these autonomous vehicles. I have a cat, I don't want my cat getting killed because of these autonomous vehicles.— Jason Chavez, Minneapolis city council member
The ordinance doesn't make sense and the city will continue its efforts to embrace innovative technology, including transportation options.— Mayor Jacob Frey, on his planned veto
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