The death of KitKat, a beloved neighborhood cat known as the 'mayor of 16th Street', has sparked outrage in San Francisco after it was struck and killed by a Waymo autonomous vehicle in the city's Mission District. The incident has prompted local politicians and community leaders to call for new limits on the autonomous vehicle industry.
KitKat, a regular fixture at Randa's Market, was killed on 27 October when a Waymo vehicle, stopped to pick up passengers, ran over the cat as it pulled away. Waymo confirmed the incident and expressed condolences, donating to a local animal rights organisation in the cat's honour.
San Francisco city supervisor Jackie Fielder has announced plans to introduce legislation allowing counties to decide whether to permit autonomous vehicles, similar to a 2024 effort in the California legislature. At a press conference outside Randa's Market, Fielder and other speakers criticised the loss of local control to tech companies and raised concerns about job displacement.
Justin Dolezal, a local bar owner, said: 'The mayor of this space was taken by technology that none of us asked for, and crucially to this resolution, none of us consented to.' The incident adds to growing anti-autonomous vehicle sentiment, with previous protests including disabling Waymos and setting them on fire.
In response to KitKat's death, Daniel Zeidan, part of the family that owns Randa's Market, has released a memecoin to honour the cat, with proceeds intended to support local veterinarians and animal welfare organisations. Zeidan expressed disappointment at others launching imitation tokens to profit from the tragedy.
