February 11, 2015

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Despite restrictions, Lyft launches in Phila.

Service isn’t licensed in the city, drivers face citations and fines MARGARET SCHROEDER Contributing Reporter

BUSINESS MEETS BROTHERHOOD

Want to get from A to B and enjoy the ride, without sacrificing affordability? While Lyft claims to be “your friend with a car, whenever you need one,” Philadelphia authorities disagree. Lyft launched in Philadelphia on Jan. 30. Despite the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s ban on UberX and Lyft, the ride-sharing services

continue to operate successfully in the city and remain popular among Penn students. While Pennsylvania has given Uber and Lyft a temporary license to operate in the rest of the state, Philadelphia is the lone exception. The PPA vows to impound all of the Lyft and UberX cars it can find and has recently been conducting sting operations to do so. If caught, drivers receive a citation and a $1,000 fine, and the company is cited twice with fines totaling over $1,750, though there are no consequences for the passengers. Lyft representatives reached out to

the PPA months before launching in Philadelphia in an effort to collaborate on ride-sharing regulations. “They’re very much trying to force Lyft into a one-size-fits-all regulatory framework,” Lyft representative Mary Caroline Pruitt said. “Current regulations for taxis and limos were created a while ago before anything like Lyft was ever imagined … this is a fundamentally different model than a taxi or a limo.” Nevertheless, Pruitt added that the company feels its launch in Philadelphia was successful. “Our launch in Philly was actually one of our biggest and busiest

launches ever. We’re really excited to see both passengers and drivers very much enjoying the service,” Pruitt said. Lyft drivers, like their UberX counterparts, are not professional drivers, but small business owners, students and single moms, among others who drive in their free time. The PPA refers to UberX and Lyft as illegal and “hack” taxi services. SEE LYFT PAGE 3

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Video of Lyft and Uber drivers discussing legality and more

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THE LINE between

RESEARCH

As cliche as it sounds, I think the only thing we should fear being imprisoned by is our own close-mindedness.

and

ABUSE

- Ravi Jain PAGE 4

MILES TO GO BEFORE HE SLEEPS

Complaints cite six animals injured in Penn labs last year

BACK PAGE

These acts came less than a year after the United States Department of Agriculture, which regulates the use of animals in laboratories, warned Penn that it was not in compliance with federal regulaDAVID CAHN tions. Staff Reporter The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued the University Penn researchers were accused of an “Official Letter of Warning” in June giving five pigs unapproved head injuries of 2013. “This is an enforcement letter and burning a monkey over the course of that does not have a monetary fine, howlast year. ever, it lets the facility know they are not

in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act and they need to come back into compliance or we will take further action,” USDA Public Affairs Specialist Tanya Espinosa said in an email. Executive Director of Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! Michael Budkie believes that Penn has not made an effort to improve compliance with the Animal Welfare Act. Budkie called the SEE ANIMAL PAGE 3

GRAPHICS BY KATE JEON | NEWS DESIGN EDITOR

12 locker thefts reported at Penn gyms in the new year

SOUL asks Penn community, “Who killed Brandon Tate-Brown?”

Items were stolen from both unsecured and locked lockers

The organization calls attention to a shooting by Philadelphia police JESSICA WASHINGTON Staff Reporter

ANNA HESS Staff Reporter

A rash of 12 locker thefts took place inside of Pottruck Health and Fitness Center and the Hutchinson Gymnasium between Jan. 15 and Feb. 4. The Division of Public Safety sent an advisory email notifying “members of the Penn community” of the locker thefts at 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday. Out of the seven Pottruck thefts, four thefts were from secured lockers. All five of the Hutchinson Gym locker thefts were from unsecured lockers. Graduate medical student Adam Watson’s locker was broken into on Jan. 22. His iPhone and cash were stolen from his secured locker inside of the locker room at Pottruck. He had secured his locker with a black, three-ring Master Lock, a lock he said is commonly used inside of Pottruck. “I saw four of those kinds of lock on the ground floor, and in the locker room, I saw at least two or three more,” Watson said.

Cont roversy su r rou nd i ng the shooting of Brandon TateBrown by Philadelphia Police

has sparked activism on Penn’s campus. On Jan. 30, members of Students Organizing for Unity and Liberation, an activism group on campus known as co-organizers of the die-in at Amy Gutmann’s annual holiday party, placed posters around campus asking “Who Killed

Brandon Tate-Brown?” in an effort to spark campus conversation and awareness. This was part of their on-going Ferguson Friday demonstrations. Bra ndon Tat e -Brow n, a 26-year-old black man, was shot in the head and killed by SEE SHOOTING PAGE 2

WENDY ZHOU | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Out of seven recent Pottruck locker thefts, four were from secured and three from unsecured lockers.

Watson knew that something was awry when he returned to his locker after a 45-minute workout to find that his lock was missing. “My guess would be that they’ve figured out how to break in to the locks themselves or they’re looking over people’s shoulders at the combination,” he said. Watson filed a police report

following the incident, yet was not able to recover his stolen property and no arrest has been made. He said that the Penn Police officer he spoke to told him that he had received multiple reports of this type of locker theft the day prior to Jan. 22. Watson attempted to use location apps, but his SEE LOCKER THEFT PAGE 7

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IRINA BIT-BABIK | NEWS PHOTO EDITOR

As part of their on-going Ferguson Friday demonstrations, students from SOUL placed posters around campus in an effort to spark campus conversation and awareness regarding the incident.

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