Autumn in one of "The Most Dangerous Cities in America": Godspeed to You

I wish I could sum this up into smaller words, but I cannot and I will not. I am from Metro-Detroit. I grew up in the suburbs outside the city in a very privileged town. My whole life, they made it seem as if Detroit was the most dangerous place in the world, as that was and still is sadly it's reputation as a city. When I finally grew up and decided to judge Detroit for myself, I found love and a community. I found a city abandoned and misused, abused for its talent, beauty, culture, and ruined by those who did not find it worthy. These photos are just a small portion I took when I finally decided I would explore the city and take photos of the Detroit I know, not the one everyone made me assume it was. And Detroit treated me well. I was still anxious to go by myself, taking pictures alone, but while doing so I met people, found new places, and wandered to empty corners of the city I had not known of before. Sometimes I like that people don't want to come to Detroit because it's like a nice kept secret for those who love this city. Detroit has been getting more recognition lately, the only problem is the money finally flooding in is pushing out the people who have lasted through the hardest moments of this city's history. The gentrification in Detroit isn't fair to the residents who have stuck to their home for so long, now all of a sudden it's desirable in the eyes of those who abandoned this city and its people so long ago. There are still parts of Detroit that aren't the 'prettiest' and safest, but it isn't a scary place, just misunderstood. Detroit is a black city, a beautiful city, resilient, and a diverse, creative city with a rich history. I only hope others can see it the way I do and when they come here, they treat it and its people with the respect and care they always deserved. And I will continue to take photos of even the darkest, most forgotten areas of this city, because they deserve to be seen too.