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Residents reiterate calls for accountability nine months after Rainbow Terrace explosion
Summary
At the March 23 meeting residents and advocates asked the mayor and council to investigate conditions at Rainbow Terrace Apartments, highlight displaced families and press for support for those left homeless after the explosion that killed one resident.
Bridget Smith Jackson told Cleveland City Council that March 23 marks nine months since an explosion at Rainbow Terrace Apartments that claimed the life of Cordell Sheffield, displaced 44 families and left two children critically injured. She said the council and administration should investigate conditions at the complex leading up to the blast and provide housing assistance to displaced residents.
Jackson asked Mayor Bibb and the cabinet to review the record of complaints submitted on behalf of a resident she identified as Novena Watkins, who Jackson said was evicted more than a year before the explosion after raising safety concerns about unstable bathtubs and unsafe living conditions. Jackson said she had sent numerous emails to the mayor's office, the health and law departments and HUD and that Watkins remains homeless.
"When we talk about what happened at Rainbow Terrace 9 months ago, we also must ask, what was happening there before?" Jackson said, and urged the city to use records and prior communications to assist Watkins and others whose complaints were not resolved before the tragedy.
Council President Griffin acknowledged the comment and called time; no formal action was taken at the meeting, but the public reminder placed the event and ongoing housing questions on the council record.
What’s next: Councilmembers signaled they would follow up with the administration and relevant departments to review records and assist affected residents; no formal vote or referral was recorded during the meeting.
