Clevelanders raised a new flag across the city over the weekend.
The so-called "People's Flag," selected through a design and voting process facilitated by the citizen-led CLE Flag Project, features a navy blue "C" and a white, six-pointed star on a red and navy background.
The design, created by Shan Rodich, was selected by thousands of Cleveland-area residents.
The CLE Flag Project co-organizer Brian Lachman said the group’s primary goal was to create a more cohesive civic symbol of pride and unity across Cleveland, similar to other cities like Chicago.
Inventory sold out over the weekend, part of the proceeds from which will support the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. Those interested may pre-order the flag for when it is restocked.
"This is something about highlighting and unifying our community but also trying to see how we can give back to them," Lachman said.
The city will keep its official flag that has been in place for over a century.
Local business owner and Collinwood resident Robert Gatewood said he’ll display both.
"The point of it being for the neighborhoods and the people in the neighborhoods to connect with each other versus the civic flag, which it was kind of hard to read on a design level," Gatewood said. "The idea of having something distinct is cool."
Some neighborhoods have already have flags, like Ohio City, which was a separate city before being annexed by Cleveland in 1854. Gatewood likes the idea of a unifying symbol.
"There's a lot of little wrinkles in each neighborhood that makes them unique, but all being bound under one visual identity in my brain makes sense," Gatewood said. "And if the people adopt it, then it actually does become that."
The design is not trademarked or copyrighted, meaning any business owner or resident can use it to sell on apparel or other purposes.
