In a sentence we're sure to use again this decade ... it all started with a Tweet.
"There are not any plans to erect a statue of RoboCop. Thank you for your suggestion," wrote Mayor Dave Bing.
But if suggestions are like seeds, Twitter must then be the fertilizer. For the Tweet spread like dandelion weeds throughout Detroit's social media community; a good joke. The
Facebook page asking Dave Bing to change his mind attracted 6,000 followers -- grassroots success. And then the
Kickstarter page went up: "Part Man, Part Machine, All Crowd-Funded" (backed by the good folks at the Imagination Station, it's since raised over $16,000 of its 50k goal). From
Popular Science to MTV, this tribute to bad 1987 sci-fi was the story on Detroit this week.
So: does Detroit need a tribute to its dystopian and crime ridden alterna-future, to the fantasy cyborg-cop patrolling streets so mean, no human could dare police them? Resistance sprouted, quickly; Supergay Detroit's widely-read
post argues the movement should remain a farce, no more:
Excerpt:
A Robocop statue, with money that will no doubt be raised primarily from outside the city limits, can be seen as the constant reminder (potentially right in the middle of one of our more vibrant neighborhoods) that Detroit will never move past its reputation as hopelessly corrupt and crime-ridden. And will be celebrated by many more non-residents than residents, for sure. Way to put a city in its place.
(We at
Buzz support the public debate about public art -- noting the process can occasionally get messy. We support creativity and bold action, and encourage more of each. Much more.)
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