Gainey condemns, seeks answers after apparent racial incident in Pittsburgh

Gainey    February 14, 2019

HARRISBURG, Feb. 14 – State Rep. Ed Gainey, D-Allegheny, is demanding answers after an apparent racial incident occurred in Brushton in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

 

Gainey, who is in Harrisburg attending budget hearings, said he was contacted by a neighborhood resident about what appeared to be a doll that had been hung by the neck from a utility pole. Gainey in turn contacted city officials, who quickly had the doll removed. The incident remains under investigation.

 

“I am disturbed and sickened by this incident,” Gainey said. “I find it appalling, but sadly not surprising that in 2019 we are still confronted with these public displays of hate in our communities.

 

“Whether it is a racially motivated incident like this or an attack on a religious group, we cannot allow hate to fester and take hold in our communities. While we cannot allow events like this to define who we are, neither can we allow them to pass unremarked,” Gainey said. “We are better than this, Pittsburgh is better than this.

 

“I want to thank the people in the community who brought this to my attention and also thank the city for its quick response in removing it. I also hope – and will continue to seek -- that those who perpetrated this wanton act are brought to justice.”