Mayor Gainey hosts community cookouts to promote togetherness and hope for the future
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A community picnic was held on Sunday, where Pittsburgh residents got together to meet and greet with one another and Mayor Ed Gainey.
Gainey organized the events in hopes to show his appreciation for the city and to serve as an opportunity for community members to get to know their neighbors.
He made his message loud and clear at the picnic on Sunday, with hopes of bringing Pittsburgh residents together to create a better and safer city for all.
"This is how we come together" Gainey said. This is how we work to make a city that is safe, welcoming and thriving for everyone."
During what he's calling Comm-Unity Cookouts, he encourages everyone to find out who their neighbors are.
"We know the city is changing," Gainey said. "What a great way to come out and meet new neighbors, find out who your neighbors are. That's why we're out here today."
Gainey said he hopes that events like these will make change for the future, but said in order to start, you have to be present.
He says that's what his administration has done since day one, in addressing the needs of the city.
"You can't make a change sitting behind a desk. You have to be out there making sure you're amongst the people," Gainey said.
But Gainey says there's more work to be done.
"We said we would get the violent killers off the street," Gainey said. "We've done that and continue to do that. When the last 7-8 weeks, the shootings have been down. We've done the things that we said we'd do. Are we there yet? No. We got a whole lot more to do. And we know that but we can't do it without the community."
He says, most importantly, we must get to know one another -- saying that the more we come together, the better we are.
"If we're going to make this the safest city in the America, the most welcoming and most thriving city in America, it's because we look out for one another," Gainey said.