Minneapolis Drone Contract Fails in 6-6 Council Vote
Contributing writer Izzy Canizares reports on the Minneapolis City Council's 6-6 vote rejecting a proposed 75-day drone trial with Skydio for Ward 4 first-response calls. Residents protested outside City Hall despite a heat advisory and poor air quality, citing Skydio's ties to ICE and the Israeli military, along with a recent Wired investigation revealing exposed San Francisco police drone footage. Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, who authored the contract, argued it could save lives, while Council Member Aurin Chowdhury called the proposal "morally bankrupt."
Despite poor air quality from wildfires, residents gathered outside Minneapolis City Hall on Wednesday, July 15, protesting a potential contract with drone company Skydio. They packed the council chamber the following morning ahead of the contract’s vote, which ultimately failed.
The contract would have been a 75-day free trial with the U.S.-based drone company, which has come under scrutiny for supplying surveillance drones to the Israeli military since 2023 and for its recent federal contracts with ICE. If passed, the drones would have been used in Ward 4 as “first responder” tools, dispatched as soon as a 911 call is made to provide surveillance from the scene. The company has advertised the drones for uses ranging from responding to illegal dumping complaints to finding missing people. Residents see this as an example of the program having no clear purpose.
A protest was organized at the Federal Building Plaza in Minneapolis on Wednesday, the day before the contract was voted on. Members from local organizations came out despite a citywide heat advisory and poor air quality warnings.
“I think the thing that we learn from watching them explode their own argument and make no sense in front of the city council is that they don’t actually know what they want to use these drones for,” said Sarah Heller, a Ward 4 constituent. “North Minneapolis is not made safer when we are made a testing ground for Minneapolis cops with military toys.”
The demonstration came after more than 40 residents attended a public comment hearing on the contract at the previous week’s Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee meeting. Council members present voted to move the contract forward with no recommendation. The idea of technology as a safety tool can sound promising but can be easily misused, said Maamoun Slayhi of the Free Palestine Coalition.
“I can see why they think it is a good idea, because, yes, it will reduce time for response. But it all comes at a cost,” Slayhi said. “They see the thing that could be used for good, but the problem is it never stays for good. … We can invest in things that are much better for our community than more policing and more surveillance.”
Minneapolis would not have been the first Minnesota city to partner with Skydio; Minnetonka has had its own contract for more than a year, providing a public “flight log” that tracks drone flights and the calls they respond to, though no other identifying information is shared.
“The Fourth Precinct has also been very well known to be discriminatory in their behavior,” Slayhi said. “So now all of a sudden Ward 4 turns into a testing ground, and then it turns into surveillance automatically. Every person becomes a suspect all of a sudden.”
Skydio representatives told the City Council at the prior committee meeting that the company deletes non-evidentiary video footage after seven days and that its drones would avoid identifying landmarks, homes or people while in the air. However, a Wired investigation published July 13 found that Skydio had left hours of San Francisco police drone footage exposed on the open internet, a security gap discovered by outside researchers in mid-June, revealing unblurred footage from SFPD-led drone flights.
Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw of Ward 4, who spearheaded the project, said the contract deserved consideration in her ward despite the concerns, calling it the safety tool her constituents have been asking for in emergencies. “In emergencies, minutes matter. If this program saves one life, this is worth trying,” Vetaw said. “At times it feels like this body is searching for reasons to say no, instead of looking for reasons to give this a chance.”
Despite support from the measure’s author, the contract failed in a 6-6 vote Thursday, July 16, to the relief of many residents who attended the meeting. The sticking points for opposed council members were the lack of reliable privacy safeguards from Skydio and its continued work with ICE, which took action against Minneapolis residents during Operation Metro Surge six months earlier.
“This action is morally bankrupt. It’s an abysmal mistake,” said Council Member Aurin Chowdhury. “Nothing is free. This costs the trust of our residents. … I keep on hearing that this is going to solve all our public safety issues and problems. There is no silver bullet.”
Residents who packed both the council meeting room and the overflow room rejoiced at the decision. Emil, a member of Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota, said the vote was a win for all residents regardless of political alignment.
“I think just the fact that council members voted it down showed that they are keeping in mind the fact that residents do not want to be surveilled,” Emil said. “The fact that this company is propped up through its contracts with ICE and through its contracts with the IDF, and the fact that we voted it down for one of those reasons, is good. … Many people on the council outright said, ‘If this trial were to begin, it would never end.’”
Izzy Canizares is a contributing writer for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. She welcomes reader responses at isabellacani0102@gmail.com.