Philadelphia professor arrested for disrupting delivery robot operations

Carolyn Marvin, 78, a former University of Pennsylvania communications professor, was arrested earlier this month near Filbert Street in Center City. According to police, officers were called after Marvin obstructed the Uber Eats delivery robot, prompting a crowd to gather.

Marvin, who spoke with CNN, stated she has been intentionally blocking the robots for an extended period. She was issued a disorderly conduct citation after allegedly disregarding instructions to move. “I was under the impression that I had more rights than the robot did,” Marvin told CNN.

A surprising legal aspect emerged following her arrest: Pennsylvania law classifies these delivery robots as pedestrians. Act 106 of 2020 designates autonomous delivery devices as “personal delivery devices,” granting them similar rights and responsibilities as pedestrians, including requiring motorists to yield at crosswalks.

Marvin maintains her actions are relatively minor, typically involving a 10 to 15-minute delay. She argues her protests highlight concerns about job displacement for delivery workers, sidewalk safety, and privacy issues related to the robots’ cameras.

“I also think that I have a First Amendment right to protest the abuses of corporations in public space, in the same public space that the robots are occupying,” Marvin explained to CNN. She has a history of activism, including demonstrations for civil rights, abortion rights, and Black Lives Matter, and against wars in Vietnam and the Gulf.

Marvin believes these robots represent an unwelcome intrusion of technology into public life. “There’s a way in which we’ve surrendered the streets to cars long ago, and I don’t think we should surrender the sidewalks to machines,” she said.

Despite her arrest, Marvin intends to continue her protests. “Oh yeah,” she responded when asked if she plans to continue blocking the robots.