Robocop

1. Serve The Public Trust.

2. Protect The Innocent.

3. Uphold The Law.

So, I am a son of south eastern Michigan, and am tied to this place by blood, toil, and love. Recently, an initiative to build a statue of Robocop, a titular character from the 1987 Paul Verhoeven film, gained traction through the internet. The Imagination Station has secured funds to build the statue across from the Michigan Central Station, a hulking abandoned railway depot that may one day see revival.

Critics and pessimists see the project as silly or embarrassing, but I really don't think such people know what Robocop means to people that grew up with him while witnessing the jewel of their region lose its luster year after year. Of course, this begs the question, what does Robocop mean to those of us that live here and grew up with him?

Robocop started out as a regular man who was murdered by thugs working for corporate masters. Perversely, those same corporate masters brought him back stronger, in some ways, and without so many things that belonged to him. Robocop then rebelled against the corporation, and perversely, made the corporate bad actors pay only when Robocop came back into the fold.

One could say metropolitan Detroit has experienced something like what happened to Murphy in recent years, with the flagship industry betraying the region, the industry undergoing bankruptcy, and its resurgence.

Robocop is a symbol of endurance and integrity in spite of all the reasons to give up and let "it" happen.

Detroit needs Robocop.