Group raises $50,000 for RoboCop statue in Detroit

[February 17, 2011]  DETROIT (AP) -- A group that wants to build a statue in Detroit of the fictional crime-fighting cyborg RoboCop says it has raised the $50,000 it needs to move forward. But will the mayor give his blessing?

Organizer Brandon Walley of Imagination Station said Wednesday he's "very positive" the sculpture will become a reality. The group raised the money from donations after Twitter exploded with comments about the proposed statute 10 days ago. Mayor Dave Bing is skeptical, saying he doesn't "see where we get a lot of value" out of immortalizing the alloy-encased cyborg from the 1987 science fiction flick. The movie is set in futuristic Detroit. Organizers hope the statue would be as popular as the Rocky Balboa statue in Philadelphia or the Fonzie statue in Milwaukee. [Associated Press] Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.