A Minneapolis City Council member faced widespread ridicule online after defending “cat lovers,” alleging that Waymo vehicles have killed cats and calling for human operators to be placed inside autonomous cars.
“I will say cats have been killed and cats have been killed by these autonomous vehicles,” Jason Chavez told his fellow council members. “I have a cat. I don’t want my cat getting killed because of these autonomous vehicles.
“So, to all the cat lovers out there, just know that these Waymo vehicles, these autonomous vehicles, have killed cats, and that’s unfair.
“I just watched a video sitting here from the dais, and it was really hard to watch. Literally, cats being murdered by these vehicles.”
The ordinance narrowly passed Thursday and would require every autonomous vehicle to have a human operator as well as a special license.
However, the measure’s future is unclear.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement to multiple Minnesota outlets that he plans to veto the proposal. He argued that the ordinance “doesn’t make sense” and said the city would continue pursuing “innovative technology,” including new transportation options.
Although Frey acknowledged concerns about safety, he said he would not support what he called a “backdoor ban” on autonomous vehicles.
Waymo vehicles, recognizable by their rooftop sensor systems and empty driver’s seats, are becoming increasingly common. Supporters of the ordinance say autonomous cars create safety risks and threaten jobs. Opponents counter that requiring a human operator would effectively shut down autonomous taxi services and drive up fares.
Chavez’s comments about the potential danger to cats quickly drew a wave of criticism on social media. Users accused the council member of exaggerating the issue and overlooking more urgent problems facing Minneapolis.
“The Minneapolis City Council wants to require a human in driverless vehicles because cats are being ‘murdered’ by them,” Townhall columnist Dustin Grage wrote on X. “This guy’s salary is $110,000/year, by the way.”
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Grage continued mocking Chavez in separate X posts, writing, “They’re calling it the cat genocide” and, “Hide your cats. The Waymos are coming.”
Conservative commentator Gunther Eagleman also weighed in on X, posting, “LOL! MINNEAPOLIS HAS FOUND ITS REAL CRISIS, AND IT’S ROBOT CARS ‘MURDERING’ CATS.”
Eagleman said Minneapolis should be focused on larger concerns, including crime and fraud, and characterized the debate as evidence of poor leadership.
“A council member in a city that let rioters burn down a police precinct and watched a $250 million fraud scheme happen under its nose now wants a human in every driverless car to protect the cats,” he wrote.
“He’s pulling down $110,000 a year of taxpayer money to say this with a straight face. Minneapolis doesn’t have a driverless car problem. It has a leadership problem.”
“They’re driving over the cats, they’re driving over the dogs!” Fox News Digital columnist David Marcus posted on X.
“Why is a city council member making 110,000 when families and seniors are getting priced out of their homes in Minneapolis and taxes are sky rocketing????? That’s absurd – where is the equality in that???” Three Rivers Park Commissioner Jennifer DeJournett wrote on X.
“Fwiw I’ve been in a self-driving Tesla that stopped for cats to cross the road and Waymo is a lot more advanced,” journalist Zaid Jilani posted on X.
“My FSD Tesla avoids animals on the road. He is full of it,” Dealer Teamwork CEO and co-founder Sean Stapleton posted on X.
Fox News Digital reached out to Chavez for comment.