this post was submitted on 17 Oct 2026
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/53250107

Police confirmed they had responded to a report of "criminal mischief involving a robot" on the 1200 block of Filbert Street around 1:16 p.m. on Wednesday. A woman on the scene ignored "multiple commands" to move, they said, resulting in a criminal violation notice for disorderly conduct.

Uber declined to comment.

Marvin, who plans to contest the charge on the grounds of her First Amendment right to protest, has been undeterred by the arrest. She plans to continue blocking Uber Eats robots and chatting with curious passersby who ask what she's doing.

"It allows me to talk to people about what's going on," she said. "It's always very interesting conversations that we have, and I think it's good to have those kinds of conversations in public space."

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[–] Ilovethebomb@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Spending your time inconveniencing delivery robots is 100% jobless behaviour.

Is that really the best thing you have to do with your time?

[–] Prior_Industry@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

"Carolyn Marvin, 78..."

Going hazard a guess that this is probably what gets her up in the morning.

[–] AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml 7 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

"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," Marvin said.

I mean fuck. Do we want people working as delivery drones? Really? The other post in fuckai about this doesn't even mention she's been doing this for month which obscures why she's been arrested.

And climate change is real you know? A small robot takes little energy compared to a full sized car.

Ideally delivery robots should be state owned and accountable to democratic processes. They are a valuable and useful innovation to solve logistic problems. A way to reshape how neighborhoods are build and planned and make them more energy efficient.

This dogmatic opposition to anything AI is really becoming more and more irrational, less and less grounded in facts and rational arguments. AI needs to be regulated. Like China currently does AI regulations best, but we can't even imagine things like that any more because people just accept neoliberalism as the new world order and screaming is the only thing left to do apparently instead of demanding regulations or nationalization of certain AI infrastructure. Maybe this is linked to some kind of anti-democracy propaganda campaign. Divide and conquer, and don't even let talk about regulation enter the public discussion.

[–] Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

It's replacing a dude on an ebike, not a car

[–] AlteredEgo@lemmy.ml 0 points 3 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

You should dream bigger. We have the technology to not need delivery drivers any more, but you want to keep them? Why? Because you think neoliberal capitalism can't be replaced with something more just and socialist? That is my charge against this whole critique. Why the fuck do you want people working crappy delivery jobs?

All of this should be replaced by a national post office type of delivery service.

[–] Kind_to_Everyone@slrpnk.net 13 points 6 hours ago

Act surprised when it's revealed Uber sells the camera feed to flock.

[–] DoctorWhoDMC@lemmy.world 11 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Broke: "Uber should hire real humans, not robots!"

Woke: "Uber is a complete rip-off with a deceptive pricing model that is doing nothing but fueling obesity rates, regardless. Never use it."

[–] QueenHawlSera@piefed.social 10 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Uber Eats has fucking robots?

[–] isles@infosec.pub 25 points 6 hours ago (1 children)
[–] TrackenDaKracken@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago
[–] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world 39 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

I think hungry people are going to start stopping these because they have food in them.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 23 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

I predict they will begin to arm the robots.

We are closer to skynet every day.

[–] HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world 9 points 7 hours ago

The robots have food AND GUNS IN THEM! THE REVOLUTION WILL BE PAID FOR BY UBER EATS

[–] ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 5 points 8 hours ago

More RoboCop than Skynet.

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 45 points 12 hours ago
[–] bold_atlas@lemmy.world 9 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

It really pisses me off how pristine and undamaged that piece of shit looks.

[–] rizzothesmall@sh.itjust.works 329 points 16 hours ago (11 children)

What is the charge? Blocking a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?!

[–] SarahValentine@pawb.social 11 points 10 hours ago

This. Is. Democracy. Manifest!

[–] TheMadCodger@piefed.social 114 points 15 hours ago

Police exist to protect capital, not people.

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[–] olejellylegs@lemmy.zip 38 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Ah see that’s where she went wrong, making a scene standing there.

Just spray paint the sensor and move on with your life. Or tip it over. Or put a cone over the sensor. Then disappear.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 29 points 12 hours ago (5 children)

That's not legally protected activity

[–] floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Welcome to actual protests

[–] andrewrgross@slrpnk.net 8 points 5 hours ago

Respectfully, you're missing a key piece.

You're making the point that you can't stand up to oppressive powers like Uber while operating within the law.

Crucially: so is she.

This woman is an academic expert on law and our rights, and what she's doing is exploiting a loophole in Uber's control scheme in public and forcing everyone to watch what happens.

She is creating a problem for Uber while denying them a legally justifiable reason to wield law against her. Which will either demonstrate to more people an action that allows protestors to impose harm on a powerful company while remaining out of reach of their ability to impose punishment, or force them to reveal that their ability to impose punishment isn't actually based on law, it's based on power.

In doing so, she helps analyze the strength of various legal rights that can still be used and unmasks which ones no longer exist.

[–] olejellylegs@lemmy.zip 14 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

That’s irrelevant.

There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part! You can't even passively take part! And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels ... upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!
— Mario Savio

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 11 points 11 hours ago

Not sure this will be either. Just because we agree with it doesn't mean that intentionally stopping a service provided by a company won't make you liable in court if they sued them. "People have increased doubts about ordering products on our platform because they were intentionally stopping the products from arriving"

I can't see a reasonable judge not finding them liable and therby any damages the company can prove plus court fees would be on this person.

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[–] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 45 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

"criminal mischief involving a robot"

Sounds like a cool name for an upbeat song by an avant garde electro-jazz group.

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[–] SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org 12 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Kinda ironic for a Marvin to block a robot...

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 12 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I think Marvin would appreciate the sentiment.

[–] klu9@piefed.social 9 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

I reckon Marvin would find a downside to it.

[–] BigPotato@lemmy.world 6 points 6 hours ago

"Ah, what's the point? You block one robot, they send another. Just my luck they'd send me - brain the size of a planet and I'm delivering your takeaway. Now what have you got? Someone gets cold food and you go to jail. Not a good trade if you ask me."

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[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 39 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

She was arrested for "disorderly conduct", for just standing there.

[–] LilB0kChoy@reddthat.com 12 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

After looking at the Philadelphia statute for disorderly conduct I’m assuming it’s based off this:

Obstructing a Highway or other Public Passage. No person shall, without legal privilege to do so, intentionally or recklessly obstruct a highway, sidewalk, or other public passage.

[–] bold_atlas@lemmy.world 10 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (1 children)

I want to know WHO was she obstructing? Sidewalks are for people. Are the cops going to make sure stray animals have full access as well?

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 8 points 8 hours ago

Anyone trying to navigate that section of the sidewalk.

It's still bullshit, and it's still a first amendment issue as it is a form of protest.

But standing somewhere, blocking a public space is obstructing the flow of traffic, and meets the standard. Being arrested is part and parcel of protest because legal challenges form precedent. Sometimes you want to be arrested for both visibility and that opportunity to challenge a law, or otherwise shift things.

Blocking the robot isn't the same as blocking a human. But blocking robot did block other humans. They had to navigate around it. Rubbernecking is inevitable. You've got the people interested in what she's doing and why standing there too. In terms of whether or not she violated that law, there's zero doubt she did.

And that's part of the process of changing that law, hopefully

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[–] artyom@piefed.social 131 points 16 hours ago (18 children)

There are Waymos that drive through my workplace all night long. Like literally every 10 minutes. They cause problems all the time, as we have semi tractor-trailers trying to dock, and they'll block their movement and then just sit there waiting. They started putting up cones so they wouldn't pull through but now all the legitimate traffic has to get out and move them around every time they want to come through.

One time I blocked 3 of them in for several hours by trapping them by putting more cones behind them, such that there was no exit. That was fun.

[–] palordrolap@fedia.io 42 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Your company needs to charge Waymo a toll for usage of your premises.

Alternatively, get a button-operated rising-arm barrier. All a driver needs to do is push the button to get in or out. Unless they're an AI that can't get out of the car, anyway.

Edit: Sometimes I a word.

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[–] Evil_Shrubbery@thelemmy.club 58 points 14 hours ago (3 children)
[–] bedwyr@piefed.ca 49 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

That is the crime she was arrested for? Not yielding to a clanker using the sidewalk? Wow, what a joke.

[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 25 points 12 hours ago

The police arrest protesters for refusing to move on all the time.

You can fight it in court

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[–] Trigger2_2000@sh.itjust.works 4 points 8 hours ago

Now where did I put my taser. /s

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