Protesters fear robot dog will spy on Black and Brown people as LA city council postpones vote

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
LA city council postpones vote on robot dog after protests
Protesters fear a robot dog donated to LA will kill and spy on Black and Brown people

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles City Council has postponed a decision on whether to accept a donation of a robot dog after protesters voiced their opposition to the move at a meeting on Tuesday.

Protesters at Tuesday's city council meeting said the robot dog could be used to spy on people in Black and Brown communities.

The LAPD says the robot would only be used by the SWAT team for surveillance and would not be equipped with weapons or be used for spying.

The council heard public comments for an hour on the robot, the majority of which were against the move.

"You are laying down the foundation for a future that will feature the killing of people by this robot dog," one protester was heard saying to the council.

The council again reiterated that the robot dog will not be allowed to be equipped with weapons.

The vote on whether to accept the dog has been postponed for at least 60 days.

Several members of the council have shown signs of voting against the robot dogs' approval.