When the immigration raids on Latino communities began in June, a burning, graffiti-ed Waymo in the streets of Downtown Los Angeles quickly became a symbol of the L.A. protests.
Hundreds of videos and images surfaced across social media of driverless vehicles spraypainted with messages, such as “FUCK ICE” and “ANIMO RAZA!!!”, and set ablaze on Los Angeles Street between Alameda and Arcadia.
For better or worse, the burning Waymo effigy was transformed into a resistance symbol—a flaming middle finger to tech overlords, AI, and the police surveillance state.
To disgruntled demonstrators and anti-capitalists alike, Alphabet-owned Waymo represents the automation of a labor force that’s increasingly leaving workers behind for company profit.
The act of vandalizing driverless vehicles also gives the impression of a “victimless” crime. When free of passengers, there’s no driver whose life or livelihood could be put at risk—only faceless tech oligarchs with seemingly endless capital and nothing to lose.