As you might have already read on this website, a viral Internet movement is underway to provide the citizens of Detroit a RoboCop statue [read Fans Decide Detroit Needs A RoboCop Statue Despite Government Rejection]. What started off as a joke suggestion from a New England man on Twitter has turned into a donation drive to bring an actual statue of the sci-fi hero to the city. The drive has been so successful, the required $50,000 cost has already been raised in less than 10 days. While this grassroots campaign is nothing short of amazing, I can’t but feel like this is leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
Face it, there are a million reasons why Detroit’s Mayor David Bing rejected this idea of creating a RoboCop statue. The most important reason? Because it is stupid. Why spend the city’s dollars on creating a statue to a fictitious crime fighting robot? What will that do for the declining city and its disenfranchised population? Some parts of Michigan don’t even have enough money to run a local paper and yet somehow, $50,000 was raised to put up a statue of RoboCop? I am as much of a fan of RoboCop as the next guy, but there isn’t a reason out there that can explain why a statue is needed.
Comic book writer Ron Marz felt the same way and let it be known on his Twitter account. Rather than run his mouth on the issue though, he actually did something about it. He donated some dollars to a charity based in Detroit called Forgotten Harvest and urged his followers to do the same under the Twitter hastag #robocharity.
It is just a great cause and anyone with a Twitter should spread the message. RoboCop was created to protect and serve the citizens of Detroit. I can’t think of a better way to do that than to donate: https://www.forgottenharvest.org/donate.php.
As you might have already read on this website, a viral Internet movement is underway to provide the citizens of Detroit a RoboCop statue [read 
Yup. I totally agree. The city is a dump on fire and the locals want to put up a statue of a fictional, fascist killing machine. Civic pride must be at some kind of all time low in Detroit, America’s first completely failed city.
Comment by Anonymous — February 18, 2011 @ 3:04 am
I understand why fans would want the statue there, I really do, and I too am amazed at how people put the money up so fast to make it happen. I’m sure it would be good for the city in that it would help with tourism, but I’m not surprised that the Mayor would not want to spend city money on the statue when the money really needs to go to better causes. What got to me was how people ran to give their money for a statue when there are people who are starving and homeless who REALLY need the help. This was my first reaction upon hearing about the money raised. If only people would care enough for their fellow man and put their hand in their pocket to help others.
Comment by Empress Eve — February 18, 2011 @ 3:13 am
#Robocharity FTW! Let’s not forget it was @GaryWhitta that told him to put his money where his mouth was, and HE ACTUALLY DID. And Gary did. And we’ve put together a Facebook page [ http://on.fb.me/igEptu ] and hashtag [ #Robocharity ] to help spread the word.
If we can raise $50k for a Robocop statue, we can raise a ton of money to feed hungry people in a city that needs some love.
Comment by Ryan Meray — February 17, 2011 @ 10:27 pm
Please don’t perpetuate the myth of a Detroit wasteland if you haven’t been here yourself. Also, watch Robocop again. It’s a satire, and Robocop isn’t the fascist killing machine – The corporation that built him is.
Comment by Ryan Meray — February 18, 2011 @ 3:28 am
Thank you! :)
Comment by Adam — February 18, 2011 @ 12:09 am
Heh. I lived in Detroit until 2007. It’s a dump on fire, believe me. And Robocop was CREATED to be a fascist killing machine, and it’s only later in the film that MURPHY proves himself to be something else.
A dump on fire. If you still live there yourself, I apologize for insulting “your” town, but “my” Detroit is a mess.
Comment by Anonymous — February 18, 2011 @ 9:40 am
There are plenty of us who think Detroit isn’t a dump on fire, but you’re entitled to your opinion. Cheers.
Comment by Ryan Meray — February 18, 2011 @ 3:48 pm
Jeez – lighten up! It’s called having a an appreciation of the arts. Yeah, so it’s Pop Art, technically, but whatever. If a statue can stand as a symbol of something – hope, pride, protection/security, or even just kitchiness/fun/irreverence, then why not build it?
Comment by Anonymous — February 18, 2011 @ 4:18 pm
Ask Philly if putting a statue of a fictional character was good for the city. How many people go there and get their picture taken next to the Rocky statue? I’d bet they’d love to put up 100 more AND a Robocop statue if they brought in the tourism dollars that just the one does. Also, I am incredibly skeptical that anyone in this obese nation is starving. Yes there are homeless people that need help. But I fail to see the relationship of the two topics, other than the raising of funds. There are literally 100’s of 1000’s of dollars, if not millions, raised every year for the homeless and other like causes. But you people get your noses out of joint because $50,000 was raised for a statue in a week. So what! More power to them I say. If people want to donate money for a statue then they should be able to without some liberal crying foul. There are millions of federal dollars being spent on “the Arts” that I would just as well see go to getting the homeless up on their feet. Where are you whiners when all that money goes down the drain every year? Oh yeah, crying about a measly $50,000 statue, that’s where. If you want to help out the unfortunate so badly why don’t you get off your liberal podiums and go down and volunteer at a homeless shelter instead of whining about a statue, and donating 5 bucks to some twitter account? They will appreciate the help much more than the $5 I’d bet!
Comment by Racer X — February 18, 2011 @ 9:52 pm
Both Salem, MA and Philadelphia, PA have statues of fictional characters and both use them to bring in tourism. And yes, it would be lovely if we could all hold hands and sing the Coke song and be happy with one another, but the likelihood is people heard about the idea of a statue and thought it was kind of funny so they donated money. That’s not the kind of attitude that will lead people to donating to charity.
Comment by Sfsfsd — February 18, 2011 @ 11:04 pm