It's a cleat scraper. You drag your cleats from soccer or other sports across the spiked surface to remove dirt, mud, and sod.

As a Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria (2005-2007), I worked with Roma children directly and had friendships with adults as well. I have a lot of hope for this community, but just like any segregated and impoverished people, they have a lot of progress to make. It's not simply a matter of ending discrimination. It's about ending institutional racism and generational poverty. I don't see that ending any time soon, and it's been a hard slog making what progress we have on the same issues in America.