After more than a decade in the making, Detroit has officially welcomed its towering RoboCop statue.
According to The Associated Press, standing 11 feet tall and weighing 3,500 pounds, the bronze-cast cyborg now keeps vigil over Eastern Market, drawing fans even on a snowy evening, said Jim Toscano, co-owner of FREE AGE film production company, where the sculpture is installed.
“Even in a snowstorm in the dark, people were driving by to see it,” Toscano said. “I think there will be a lot more acceptance. Detroit has come a long way. You put in a little nostalgia, and that helps.”
The cult-classic 1987 film “RoboCop” portrayed a crime-ridden Detroit of the near future, patrolled by a nearly invincible cyborg created by a sinister corporation.
While the movie cemented its place in pop culture, it also reinforced the city’s image as dangerous. Over the years, violent crime has steadily declined, and the city now embraces a statue celebrating the sci-fi hero.
The idea for the statue started around 2010 when a tweet suggested Detroit needed a RoboCop monument, similar to Philadelphia’s Rocky statue.
Then-Mayor Dave Bing initially dismissed the concept, but fans took matters into their own hands. A 2012 Kickstarter campaign raised over $67,000 from more than 2,700 backers worldwide, and Detroit sculptor Giorgio Gikas completed the work in 2017.
However, the statue remained in storage for years. Plans to place it at the Michigan Science Center fell through due to pandemic-related priorities, and Stevens Point, Wisconsin, considered hosting it in honor of actor Peter Weller, a native son.
The search for a permanent home ended three years ago when Toscano’s company purchased a building in Eastern Market and agreed to install the statue.
Toscano admitted he had only seen the first “RoboCop” movie. “It wasn’t a big film in our house,” he said. Still, he joked that RoboCop’s iconic line fits the moment: “Thank you for your cooperation.”
Visitors have been flocking to the statue. James Campbell, a Kickstarter backer, told photo-takers, “I own this. Do you guys know that?” Campbell donated $100, making him a small stakeholder in the statue.
“It’s a big, beautiful, bronze piece of art,” Campbell said. “What a piece of cinematic history to represent the city of Detroit. He’s a cyborg crime fighter! In the movie, he’s there to save the city. He’s a symbol of hope.”
