If you drive around Cleveland – or other NEO communities which do not have point of sale inspections [1] – you will see houses [2] and commercial buildings with colored tarps strapped/tacked to their roofs. Often the tarps are the popular blue ones – which really aren’t waterproof because they are merely woven plastic thread.
You see these blue tarps on houses which are occupied. Families are in the house with the blue tarp up on the roof waving in the wind.
I see these tarps like the white flags used in warfare to announce “SURRENDER”.
The tarps are telling everyone ”I surrender” – I can’t afford to fix my roof. I only have enough money for a blue tarp.
Every day the blue tarp offers the community the same urgent message: I HAVE SURRENDERED!
But no one comes to help.
The City doesn’t recognize the blue tarp and offer any financial help.
The neighbors have their own urgent problems.
The Feds are too far away to see the tarp.
But WE can see the tarps – everyday, on street after street in Cleveland – and WE do nothing too.
We have all surrendered.
