Today In WTF News: Detroit Raises Money For Robocop Statue
Detroit residents have raised more than $56,000 to erect a statue honoring the pop culture icon, RoboCop.
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 — and has brought in more than $56,000 as of press time, surpassing the goal of $50,000, according to the Detroit News.
Advertising entrepreneur Pete Hottelet of Oakland, Calif., contributed $25,000. Hottelet told the News, "Detroit has an amazing history, and it's one of those places where something like this fits in."
RoboCop, the half-man, half-cyborg, famously battled bad guys in a futuristic Detroit in a 1987 movie that spawned two sequels and a TV series.
The planned RoboCop statue would stand on privately owned land near the Michigan Central Depot, reports the Detroit News, and it is hoped the homage would become a tourist attraction.
Jerry Paffendorf, one of the campaign leaders, also believes the statue will inspire others to do good.
"If people can raise money for something like RoboCop, then they can do it for their neighborhoods or their schools," he told the paper. "Sometimes it takes a RoboCop to open up the consciousness of these things."
Make sperfect sense to raise money for a statue dedicated to a fictional cop. [CNN]
