A 78-year-old retired university professor was arrested in Philadelphia after staging a one-woman protest against Uber Eats delivery robots, insisting the machines are taking the jobs of human delivery workers.
Carolyn Marvin, a professor emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communication, was handcuffed by police after she repeatedly blocked an autonomous Avride delivery robot from moving along a city-centre pavement.
Confrontation Near Reading Terminal Market
The confrontation unfolded on October 14 on the 1200 block of Filbert Street near Philadelphia's busy Reading Terminal Market. Prof Marvin had reportedly just left a flu shot appointment when she spotted the robot trundling along the sidewalk.
Instead of stepping aside, she planted herself in front of the device so it couldn't continue its Uber Eats run. Witnesses say the standoff drew a crowd, backed up foot traffic and eventually led to police being called.
Arrest and Charges
Officers arrived and repeatedly ordered Prof Marvin to move, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported. She refused, arguing she had a constitutional right to be there. Police then placed her in handcuffs and issued her a criminal violation notice for disorderly conduct.
Prof Marvin, who once taught a course on the history and theory of freedom of expression, says she is using civil disobedience to fight what she sees as corporate greed and creeping automation.
Protest Motives and Privacy Fears
"I know they're taking the jobs of human delivery workers and so, I have been protesting them whenever I saw them by standing in front of them and preventing them from going forward," Prof Marvin said, adding that she considers her action protected speech, Techspot reported.
She has also raised privacy fears, warning the roaming machines can act as "multipurpose offenders" that hoover up data as they move through public spaces. She mocked the robots' design, accusing companies of using cutesy visuals to soften public opinion, and criticised the screens that flash digital hearts, calling it a calculated attempt to distract from the workers she believes are being pushed aside.
In another interview, she said her protest was against "the ruthless way that rich corporations are casting aside human workers - and here, we're talking about the humble delivery folks – in order to enrich their bottom lines." When asked if she would keep protesting, Prof Marvin said: "I do. Why not? I think it's my First Amendment right to publicly demonstrate on a sidewalk to protest against delivery robots."
