Victims of Rainbow Terrace fire tell Cleveland council unsafe housing persists; call for inspections, reporting and tenant protections

Residents and survivors of the Rainbow Terrace explosion and other housing incidents used the council's public-comment period to press for stronger enforcement, transparent reporting and tenant protections.

Bridget Smith Jackson, speaking with children present, linked the June 23 fire to longstanding housing complaints dating back to 2022. "On June 23, those consequences turned deadly. Cordell Sheffield lost his life," she said, and described 44 families displaced and children with severe injuries. Jackson urged the council to use existing tools'rental registration, building-inspection codes, housing court and HUD standards'and to pass new legislation requiring public reporting of inspection histories, proactive audits of subsidized properties with repeat violations, automatic review for persistent life-safety violations, and explicit protections against retaliation for tenants who report unsafe conditions within 12 months of a complaint.

Ian Zahn Moses, who identified himself as a victim of the Rainbow Terrace explosion, told the council his family has been displaced repeatedly and that his child's blood lead level measured 15. He described ongoing pest infestations, repeated moves and mounting financial strain, and said: "Families like mine deserve stability, dignity, and a safe place to live while we rebuild our lives." Moses asked the city and responsible agencies to take immediate action on inspections, environmental hazards and supports for displaced residents.

Council members acknowledged the trauma in the public comments and noted the city already has legal authorities to inspect and compel compliance, but several asked staff for specific proposals on how to operationalize proactive audits and tenant-protection language. No ordinance was introduced or voted on at the meeting; speakers requested the council direct staff to prepare draft legislation and implementation plans that include public reporting and anti-retaliation provisions.

Next steps identified by speakers and councilmembers included asking the auditor to review the completeness of the budget allocations for housing enforcement, directing staff to draft tenant-protection language, and scheduling committee review for proposed reporting and audit mechanisms.