RoboCop Takes His Stand in Detroit

RoboCop has finally found a permanent home in Detroit. As of Wednesday, an impressive 11-foot-tall, 3,500-pound bronze statue now stands watch over the Motor City. The sculpture — mounted securely on a concrete patio outside the building owned by Free Age film production — immediately drew public attention. “It was a snowstorm, dark and below 30°F, and there was a steady stream of people driving by,” said Jim Toscano, co-owner of the company. “You can walk right up to it and walk all the way around.”

The journey to this moment was long — nearly 15 years in the making — and spans almost four decades since the original film, released in 1987. That movie imagined a near-future Detroit beset by crime and under-protected by a struggling police force, until a corporation unleashed a virtually unstoppable cyborg, played by Peter Weller. The story proved enduring, spawning sequels and a reboot, and cultivating a dedicated fan base.

The idea of a RoboCop statue first began to take shape around 2010, when a tweet tagged then-Mayor Dave Bing, suggesting that the character could serve as a “great ambassador for Detroit.” Enthusiasts embraced the idea — and in 2012, a Kickstarter campaign brought in over $67,000 from more than 2,700 backers across the globe. Sculptor Giorgio Gikas completed the work in 2017. But for years the statue lacked a permanent display venue… until now. Toscano’s company, having purchased the Eastern Market building — located just northeast of downtown — decided to make it the statue’s home.

Toscano explained the decision simply: “It’s too unusual, too unique, too cool not to do.” In recent years, Detroit has worked hard to shed its old reputation as a dangerous city. With violent crime declining and homicide rates reportedly below what they were in the mid-1960s, the city now embraces a more hopeful image. Toscano noted that there were no objections from city officials to the statue, adding: “I think there will be a lot more acceptance. Detroit has come a long way. You put in a little nostalgia and that helps.”

Though Toscano admits he’s only seen the original RoboCop film — “It wasn’t a big film in our house,” he said — he feels the statue suits the moment. If one line from the movie captures this milestone best, he said, it would be: “Thank you for your cooperation.”