DETROIT (AP) — RoboCop has officially settled down in Detroit.
The 11-foot-tall, 3,500-pound statue has been attracting onlookers since it began standing guard over the city for the first time in nearly 15 years on Wednesday afternoon. Jim Toscano, co-owner of FreeAge, a film production company, noted that people braved the snowy conditions just to catch a glimpse of it. The statue is now secured near the sidewalk.
RoboCop, which premiered in 1987, depicted a future Detroit plagued by crime and an overwhelmed police force. Peter Weller portrayed the nearly indestructible cyborg, which was created by a corporation looking to privatize law enforcement.
Though the movie garnered a devoted following and led to two sequels and a reboot, it didn’t help improve the city’s image, especially at a time when Detroit was trying to shake off its dangerous reputation.
However, things have shifted. There’s been a noticeable decline in violent crime over recent years. Murder rates are now lower than they were in the mid-1960s. Toscano mentioned that city officials welcomed the statue’s placement.
“I think it will be better accepted now,” Toscano said. “Detroit has made significant progress. A little nostalgia could help.”
The idea for the statue seems to have taken off around 2010, when Detroit Mayor Dave Bing was mentioned in a tweet that suggested RoboCop would be a great symbol for the city, similar to a statue of Rocky Balboa in Philadelphia.
Bing tweeted that there were no plans for such a statue, but some Detroit residents found the idea appealing. They began a crowdfunding campaign in 2012 that collected over $67,000 from more than 2,700 supporters worldwide, and by 2017, sculptor Giorgio Gikas had completed the statue.
However, after its creation, the statue remained out of public sight for quite some time.
Plans to display it at the Michigan Science Center in 2021 were canceled due to the constraints of the pandemic, which forced the museum to redirect its resources. Meanwhile, officials in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, have proposed erecting a memorial to honor Weller, either at a police station or a local park.
Things took a turn about three years ago when Toscano’s company acquired a building in Eastern Market, a vibrant area just northeast of downtown. He initially thought it was a joke when the statue’s creators reached out to him. Nevertheless, he and his partners decided to move forward, thinking, “It’s too unique and special not to do it.”
Toscano, who’s 48, admits he has only seen the original RoboCop once.
“It wasn’t a big deal in my household,” he said. Nonetheless, he feels the iconic line, “Thank you for your help,” resonates with the current situation.
On Thursday, James Campbell approached the statue and informed three photographers, “I have this. Do you guys know it?”
Having donated $100 to the original Kickstarter campaign over a decade ago, Campbell humorously declared himself a “0.038 percent owner of this statue.” He added, “I came here to admire this big, beautiful bronze piece of art. It’s part of Detroit’s cinematic heritage.”
When asked why RoboCop symbolizes the city, Campbell explained, “He’s a cyborg crime fighter! In that movie, he’s there to rescue the city. He represents hope.”
