It started as something of a joke. A New England man suggested to Detroit Mayor Dave Bing that they should build a statue in honor of RoboCop, the science fiction classic that was set in the city, in an attempt to improve the city’s image (and likely bring in a fair share of movie-loving tourists). Bing rejected the suggestion because, well…it’d be a little odd for a mayor to OK a statue of cyborg crime fighter.

Rejection be damned, fans of RoboCop everywhere started to call for the statue to be built anyway, and a movement began to raise the funds necessary. While some still think it would be wrong to have a figure associated with such a violent franchise displayed publicly, donations started pouring in, including one weighing in at $25,000 — half of the $50,000 goal that was set.

For those who still want to donate it’s not too late; while their goal has been reached, the plan now is to raise as much as possible to make the RoboCop statue as big and as awesome as can be achieved. Anyone can chip in by heading to Detroit Needs RoboCop or directly to the fundraiser’s Kickstarter campaign where you can learn much more about the project.

Once all is said and done, artists and sculptors will begin work on however big and crazy the statue is to become. They will apparently use a technology where a RoboCop figurine can be scanned into a computer and turned into a scale model of whichever size is settled on for the statue, then liquid metal can be poured and cast as needed.

No location for the statue has been chosen yet, and potential public locations are currently being discussed with the Mayor’s office. If no public home is agreed upon, an outdoor art exhibit called Imagination Station will likely be the statue’s resting place.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]