The citizens of Detroit, Michigan have raised over $50,000 to erect a statue of Robocop in the city, according to a story on Detroit News’ website. It only took the residents six days to gather the necessary donations after an Oakland, California advertising entrepreneur named Pete Hottelet push them over the goal by donating $25,000!
Robocop, Detroit’s Rocky?
A subsequent story that ran on CNN, gives us some background on this odd campaign:
Last week, Mayor Dave Bing received a tweet from one of his followers, saying, “Philadelphia has a statue of Rocky & Robocop would kick Rocky’s butt. He’s a GREAT ambassador for Detroit.” But Bing shot down his request, saying, “There are not any plans to erect a statue to Robocop. Thank you for the suggestion.”
Shortly afterward, however, a campaign was launched to raise funds for the statue.
Apparently, not all Detroit residents believe that building this statue will be a good idea:
It has since generated national media attention and substantial debate within Detroit between those who believe a statue is fun and could be a tourist attraction and those who believe it is silly idea at best and condescending reminder of the city’s crime problems at worst.
I really do think that both views are taking the significance of this statue too far! I’m pretty sure that Detroit has enough to remind visitors of the city’s crime problems. On the other hand, I doubt that people will flock to Detroit to see a statue of a character from a bad movie!
Should The Robocop Statue Be A Priority In Detroit?
Many people already know just how hard hit the city has been in recent years. Major manufacturing plants located in and around the city have closed (including many of the automotive giants), leading to a mass exodus of both jobs and skilled workers!
This has lead to massive foreclosures (some houses were even selling for $100), severe unemployment (it was estimated to be between 12.7 and 13.8 percent during the last quarter of 2010), and more crime then even Robocop could handle!
Considering all of this, should building a statue dedicated to a movie character be this important to the residents of Detroit?
Some would say that all of the efforts of the citizens should be concentrated on trying to fix their economy, or at least provide temporary relief to those who are struggling the most. Think about how many meals for the homeless could have been purchased with that $50,000.
Remember, it only took 6 days for them to reach their goal. Just imagine what a more long-term campaign could do given this much publicity and effort (or if they stuck to a simple budget and vowed to improve their finances)!
Reader Questions:
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Do you think the citizens of Detroit should focus their time, energy, and money on more important matters?
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How do you feel about a city with so much poverty and unemployment being able to come up with that much money that fast?
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Do you think this statue will help to bring a little joy and excitement to a city that is struggling?
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Couldn’t they have found a cool character like Axel Foley, instead?
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Axel Foley is a way better icon than Robocop.
People’s priorities are definitely out of whack and that’s whey a robocop statue was funded in 5 days.
I happen to enjoy Robocop. But seriously, spending money on a statue is ridiculous! The article made me laugh. But it’s a shame people aren’t thinking of better uses for that money.
This seems a bit crazy really, considering that they’re about to shut down half of their schools. Spend $50k on education instead of something that’s completely unproductive to society.
The only way I’d see that this is valuable if they can pull in more than the value of the statue through additional tourism income, but I’m not so sure people will be flocking to Detroit to get a picture with a robocop statue.
That’s just ridiculous! Detroit has massive unemployment as you stated. I do like Axel Foley a lot better but he doesn’t need a statue either.
1) Yeah, that seems obvious.
2) I’m hoping the donations were not made by those experiencing poverty or unemployment. If you’re financially stable, feel free to have a little fun within reason. But if you’re struggling financially, donating a single cent to this is irresponsible.
3) Yes. I hope so.
4) Eh, I dunno. This one’s pretty fun.
Normally, enjoy I enjoy quirky civic initiatives. This one, however, seems ill-conceived.
I spent a few months in Detroit when I was younger, on a work assignment, and got to explore the city and metro area a bit. Granted, this was over 10 years ago, but I doubt things have gotten better. What I saw was a city (and some suburbs) that had seen it’s one industry industrial might get pulverized, with the result being a dilapidated, high-crime city. There was great contrast between some very comfortable, upper middle class suburbs and the city.
Robocop is not cool like the iconic Rocky steps or a statue. This is a character that isn’t human, and is associated with crime-related issues. Why erect a statue for such an movie character in Detroit? It draws attention for the wrong reason, and further puts Detroit’s image in a more negative light in my view.
Why not raise money so quickly for city services there, or for schools? Aren’t such things more important than a Robocop statue? It does show what can happen when people are so motivated.
Being a midwesterner (Chicago), and having spent time in Detroit, I’m rooting for that city to take care of it’s problems and become a better, more prosperous and inviting place in the decades ahead. I think that there are better ways to get there than focusing on things like a Robocop statue.
It would be interesting to get the perspective of someone who is from the Detroit area and living there now.
And yes, Axel Foley was more cool! And he doesn’t need a statue either:)
I could’ve swore that half of their schools closed! Where are their priorities? Robocop? Come on Detroit. Have a little dignity. We rooted for you during the SuperBowl with the Chrysler commercial. You’re going to waste money on something like a statue? What about the children? How frustrating. -BF
@SXSW Angels
So, you’re arguing that private individuals should be donating to the school system instead? That would certainly be noble, but if people are supposed to always give to a “noble” cause instead of having the slightest amount of personal enjoyment, nobody anywhere should have a pool, a baseball glove, a pet, a TV, or many other things.
To be clear, the statue is not funded by municipal funds. The mayor thought it would be a waste of money and would not support it. Thus, private individuals pooled their own money, with which they’re free to do what they want.