Blue state councilman mocked after claiming self-driving cars are
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
Somewhere in Minneapolis, a city council member is out here claiming Waymo’s self-driving cars are quietly waging war on the neighborhood cats. No data, no studies, just the confidence of a person who has definitely watched one too many viral videos and decided that a robot taxi with a lidar array is the new coyote. The mockery that followed was swift and deserved.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Video Minneapolis councilman mocked over claim Waymo vehicles have killed cats Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez drew widespread social media criticism after calling for a human to be required in self-driving vehicles. (Credit: YouTube/City of Minneapolis, Oct. 1) One Minneapolis city council member prompted widespread mockery on social media after going to bat for "cat lovers," claiming Waymo cars are killing cats and urging officials to require humans in the self-driving vehicles. "I will say cats have been killed and cats have been killed by these autonomous vehicles," Jason Chavez told fellow council members. "I have a cat.
I don't want my cat getting killed because of these autonomous vehicles. "So, to those 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." WAYMO DRIVERLESS CARS OVERRUN ATLANTA NEIGHBORHOOD, CIRCLING CUL-DE-SACS AND ALARMING FAMILIES WITH KIDS The ordinance, which narrowly passed Thursday, would mandate a human operator and a special license for all autonomous vehicles.
But its future remains uncertain. Mayor Jacob Frey announced he plans to veto the proposal in a statement to multiple Minnesota outlets, saying it "doesn't make sense," and the city will continue its efforts to embrace "innovative technology," including transportation options.
Despite acknowledging the safety concerns, Frey added he would not support a "backdoor ban" of the vehicles. Minneapolis City Council Member Jason Chavez sparked backlash on social media after urging officials to require a human in self-driving vehicles. (YouTube/City of Minneapolis ; Sina Schuldt/picture alliance via Getty Images) As Waymo vehicles with rooftop sensors and empty seats become a more common sight, supporters argue requiring a human operator would effectively ban autonomous taxi services and result in higher fares, while opponents insist the technology poses safety risks and takes away jobs.
Social media users were quick to pile on Chavez's remarks about the potential threat to cats, accusing him of blowing the issue out of proportion and shifting focus from more pressing priorities in Minneapolis. "The Minneapolis City Council wants to require a human in driverless vehicles because cats are being 'murdered' by them," Townhall columnist Dustin Grage posted on X. "This guy's salary is $110,000/year, by the way." Grage took more swipes at Chavez in separate X posts, writing, "They're calling it the cat genocide" and, "Hide your cats.
The Waymos are coming." In another post on X , conservative commentator Gunther Eagleman wrote, "LOL! MINNEAPOLIS HAS FOUND ITS REAL CRISIS, AND IT'S ROBOT CARS 'MURDERING' CATS." JACOB FREY CRITICIZED FOR REMEMBERING GEORGE FLOYD ON MEMORIAL DAY, SIX YEARS AFTER DEATH SPARKED RIOTS Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey walks prior to a meeting with U.S.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2026. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon) Eagleman also argued the city should be addressing larger issues such as crime and fraud, describing the situation as a sign of failed 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 rocking?????
That's absurd - where is the equality in that???" Three Rivers Park Commissioner Jennifer DeJournett posted on X. TERRIFIED PASSENGERS FILM WAYMO AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE DRIVING INTO LIVE FIREWORKS IN SAN FRANCISCO A Waymo driverless vehicle in Los Angeles in May (Frederic J.
Brown/AFP via Getty Images) "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. Kiera McDonald is a Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
Somewhere in Minneapolis, a city council member is out here claiming Waymo’s self-driving cars are quietly waging war on the neighborhood cats. No data, no studies, just the confidence of a person who has definitely watched one too many viral videos and decided that a robot taxi with a lidar array is the new coyote. The mockery that followed was swift and deserved. But the real problem isn’t just the claim. It’s that this person gets a vote on whether driverless vehicles operate in the city at all.
Anyone who has actually ridden in one of these cars knows the real story. They drive like a cautious grandmother with a dashcam, not a thrill-seeking menace. But in the blue-state municipal brain, every new technology is a threat to something sacred, and the talking point becomes the policy. The cats are a cover story for plain old technophobia. If it weren’t cats, it would be birds, bike lanes, or the vague danger of "surveillance." What Minneapolis is really debating is whether to let a useful service operate without being strangled by paperwork, and the loudest voice in the room is worried about strays.
We get it: change is annoying. But cities run on facts, or at least they should. When a council member treats a baseless social media rumor as legislative evidence, the adults in the room need to step in. There are legitimate questions about liability, congestion, and how self-driving cars handle snow. A dead cat story isn’t one of them. Minneapolis can do better than governing by urban legend.
Maybe the solution is simple: let the cars drive, let the cats stay indoors, and have the council member spend a week riding around before making more bold claims. Something tells us the robot will handle the potholes better than the city does.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.