An abandoned house in the Oakwood Heights section of southwest Detroit, near the Marathon refinery. The company has been buying homes in the decaying neighborhood.

Marathon Petroleum Co. says it has been, and will continue to be, a good neighbor, but some who live near the refinery are skeptical. “They’ve disrespected us in this neighborhood over and over and over again,” says one resident.

A Detroit neighborhood known by its ZIP code – 48217 – has seen better days. Some residents fear the area will deteriorate further after the expanded Marathon refinery begins operating.

“It’s like a Frankenstein lab experiment,” 48217 resident Theresa Landrum says of living with air pollution from the Marathon refinery.