I love New Orleans. The strong culture, the friendliness, the never ending events. I love living in the heart of Louisiana.

Yet, it seems that we can never catch a break. I'll admit that at times I am scared, but it’s not because of any crimes I have witnessed in the city. Instead, I’m scared because New Orleans gets such a bad rep. I’m scared because people are constantly calling to check that I am okay, since I live in “such an awful place."

Last Saturday, news broke that former Saints player, Will Smith, had been fatally shot. Through the news and articles on Facebook, people were quick to criticize New Orleans and how awful it has become.

Many questions were raised all over the internet: if a man loved by the league and his city was victim to such an awful crime, how could anyone be safe here? How could someone willingly pack up and move to the Crescent City when crimes are so high?

Tyrann Mathieu, a NOLA native, recently said, “It’s so dangerous, I tell you, I fly in and I fly out of town, that’s how scared I am. And this is where I came from. I love my city to death. But it’s senseless.” He’s not the only one, since the shooting of Will Smith, both Sean Payton and Drew Brees have addressed the extreme unsafety of our city. While they are not wrong in saying that crime happens, New Orleans crime rate has dropped significantly since 2006. In fact, most reported crimes in New Orleans are not from extreme acts of violence, yet personal crimes; such as domestic violence. If this is the case, why are we ranked as the fourth most dangerous city in the country?

It seems that more often than not, people are quick to judge New Orleans simply because it’s an easy target. Poverty stricken, dirty, dangerous; how could any success come out of this city? New Orleans is so commonly singled out on the news that it’s easy to get caught up in the veil that has been put over this city.

People seem to forget that New Orleans is so much more than crime. We are a city full of hundreds of cultures, thousands of stories, and extreme strength. We are home to countless survivors and people who have recovered from extreme conditions.

Why is it that New Orleans is a city of crime until big names are in town for Jazz Fest? Why are we constantly called “dangerous” only to be called “beautiful” a week later by many popular news outlets?

The simple truth is this, crime does happen in New Orleans. Crime happens everywhere. Crime is unavoidable, you will never be able to escape it. To reduce New Orleans to a nameless city that is only known for crime is unacceptable. New Orleans is a beautiful, culturally rich city that has faced countless struggles, but has always overcome them.

New Orleans should not be known by others as crime-infested, but instead as a city of extreme strength. New Orleans is a city I love, a city I am proud to call home.