Philadelphia retiree Carolyn Marvin, 78, arrested for blocking delivery robot

Retired professor arrested for blocking delivery robot. Will do it again

Carolyn Marvin, a 78-year-old retired professor in Philadelphia, was arrested on October 14 for blocking an autonomous delivery robot and received a citation for disorderly conduct. She says she will keep protesting. She cites the robots' effect on low-income delivery jobs, sidewalk safety and camera privacy. Police say she refused repeated orders to move aside. A 2020 Pennsylvania law classes delivery robots as pedestrians but requires them to yield to other pedestrians and cyclists.

Why it matters: A city law that treats robots as pedestrians meets a protest over who gets to use the sidewalk.