2026-10-18 / Signal #2
A 78-year-old professor was arrested for blocking an Uber Eats robot
“Police were called for “criminal mischief involving a robot.” The suspect was 78 and had just gotten her flu shot.”
The Story
Carolyn Marvin, 78, professor emeritus at Penn (she taught freedom of expression), has spent months standing in front of Uber Eats sidewalk robots in Center City Philadelphia to protest jobs being taken from human couriers. On Oct 14, after a flu shot, she did it again, refused to move, and was arrested for disorderly conduct. Police logged a call about criminal mischief involving a robot. She says she’ll keep doing it; Avride/Uber Eats robots have been on Philly sidewalks since March.
Why It Matters
The Butlerian Jihad as a senior with a tote bag. Law, labor, and sidewalks: who has right-of-way when the pedestrian is protesting the machine? Not “robots take jobs” punditry — one specific woman vs one specific bot, on camera, after a vaccine appointment.
Evidence
PhillyVoice (Oct 16); New York Post / Dexerto (Oct 16–17); police confirmed “criminal mischief involving a robot
Sources
Daily scan: 2026-10-18