PROTEST AGAINST MAY 1ST CARRIAGE ACCIDENT
at Columbus Circle
Thanks to every one who came out yesterday to
protest the carriage accident that occurred
one week prior at Columbus Circle. The
accident was not covered in the media,
probably because it happened around the same
time as the Times Square car bomb incident.
We still do not know much about the accident
including if the horse was injured.
The ASPCA remains closed mouthed on this
incident. No one from the ASPCA was near the
hack line yesterday while we were there,
which proves that oversight of the industry
is virtually
impossible and anything goes.
VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE
Sunday, May 16th
Please come to the third annual Veggie Pride
Parade in NYC on Sunday, May 16th at 1:00 PM.
Click Here
for more information.
The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
will be sharing a table with Friends of
Animals. We took out this ad in the Veggie
Pride program.
NEW YOUTUBE SLIDE VIDEO
the truth about Intro 35A
If you missed this from last week, please
take the time to view it. It is a new
slide show/video on Youtube that tells the
truth behind this carriage horse bill that
was recently signed into law.
Click
here to view it.
For anyone who thinks that this bill was
"negotiated" in good faith between the ASPCA,
carriage industry and the City Council ...
think again. Let me disabuse you of these
notions. The carriage industry and
politicians have a history of back room deals.
This is from one of the leaders of the
carriage industry directly to me when I
criticized this person for not negotiating
the bill in good faith with the ASPCA. This
was the
response: You don't seem to understand
that we are under no obligation to
"negotiate" with you or anyone else, in good
faith or otherwise; indeed, it would be
counter-intuitive and self-destructive to
"negotiate" with people who want to
see you gone,. This bill was written and
introduced by carriage drivers. Make no
mistake about that. There is nothing in this
bill that will negatively affect their
ability to earn money. And it is window
dressing for the horses, simply codifying
conditions that already existed.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
re new "carriage horse" law
Staten Island Advance - May 8, 2010 -- Council
bill doesn't do enough to protect carriage
horses
By JACQUELINE HOFFNER,
Recently, new legislation
regarding the horse-drawn carriage business
was enacted. Speaker Christine Quinn called
the bill a "huge step forward" with "better
working conditions and improved safety for
carriage horses in New York City."
But the carriage horses will still work
long hours in harsh weather conditions,
breathe toxic exhaust fumes, be exposed to
the harms of traffic and endure sub-standard
living conditions in multi-story warehouse
buildings without sprinkler systems and steep
ramps to second and third floors.
This new law calls for a 35-day furlough,
which the media has called "a five week
vacation for the horses." These horses spend
their lives in narrow spaces. They endure the
shafts of the carriage and the restrictive
stalls they go back to day after day and
month after month. What they need is daily
time in a pasture - and this law does not
provide it.
However well intended legislation and
regulations may be, our urban environment
simply cannot provide open pastures, clean
air, or freedom from the harms of traffic.
These inherent conditions make the use of
horse-drawn carriages unsafe and inhumane.
The horses deserve better.
HOLD THE DATE - SATURDAY JUNE 5TH
Horses Without Carriages International Day
The first Saturday of June and December is
Horses Without Carriages International Day in
which groups in cities around the world stand
in solidarity with each other to protest the
inhumane and unsafe horse-drawn carriage
industry. See our web site Horses
Without Carriages International.
OPEN LETTER TO THE ASPCA, PETA, HSUS, FoA & IDA
We need help on this issue in NYC. We need
everyone to step it up a notch or two and get
involved. The way to a successful
campaign
is not to give up - to be focused and
consistent - in the good times and the bad.
We are in it to win it and we are not going
away. But we cannot do this alone.
I realize that commitment to a campaign
requires your resources, which means money --
but it does not have to be much.
Most of you like to get involved with
campaigns that are easily winnable so you can
get donations. Fair enough. But if everyone
did that, we would be giving up at every turn
and nothing would ever get done for the
animals. You need to make a long term
commitment.
PETA: you were very involved for
a couple of
years ... but where have you been lately?
Your blogs and letters to the mayors of
cities that have had carriage horse accidents
are helpful but they are not enough. You
could do so much more. You have a huge
member e-list. Celebrities bring attention
to the issue and you appear to have a lock on
them. It
takes very little of your resources to do a
simple campaign utilizing one. We are
sorry that you testified at the Council
hearing only for Intro 86. This was a big
mistake, since this bill would allow the
horses to fall through the cracks to
slaughter auctions. And you were missing in
action at the Mayor's bill signing. WHY?
HSUS: your involvement has been fairly
consistent, but always at a low level and
clearly not enough. You too, have a large
member e-list, which you are not utilizing
for this cause. I am aware of the recent
article in Animal Sheltering, which may or
may not yet be in print. I appreciate the
fact that you testified for both Intro 86
(the car bill) and 92 (the bill that saves
the horses) at the Council hearing - but you
were also missing in action at the Mayor's
bill signing. WHY?
ASPCA: You could do so, so, so much
more. Just
about every activist in NYC knows this. You
are a wealthy organization with lots of
resources but you seem to be tongue tied.
You only testified for Intro 86 at the
Council hearing, which was a big mistake
because it did not consider the
horses. You were absent at the Mayor's bill
signing, which was also a very bad decision -
worse for you than for Peta and HSUS.
It was a rare opportunity to speak directly
to the mayor. Our testimony at this hearing
was very respectful, intelligent,
knowledgeable and
professional. No one challenged the mayor
to a duel or a fist fight and no one cursed
his family. By not testifying at this
hearing, you allowed
Mayor Bloomberg and Council Member Gennaro to
speak for you and imply that you supported
Intro 35A and found nothing wrong with the
carriage industry. You have shown yourself
to have no backbone. WHY? Then you
allowed your board member, Cindy Adams to
write a ridiculous, untrue piece in the Daily
News about the wonderful new bill, thanking you,
herself and Christine Quinn.
Click
here for this disgraceful and
shameful article. On the other hand, it is
entirely possible that all of this is exactly
the way you want it and is by design.
***
If you are a member of the ASPCA and are
frustrated
and disappointed with the way they are
handling the carriage horse issue, I suggest
that
you write to President Ed Sayres at
ed_sayres@aspca.org or you may call the
office at 212-876-7700 and dial 0 for
operator. People have told me they have
written to the A to complain and received a
"boiler plate" response not addressing the
issue. This should be unacceptable.
***
Friends of Animals: you are the
only organization that has stuck with this
issue since early 2006 when we founded the
Coalition. Thank you. I
appreciate your focus and I know that your
organization does not have the resources that
the top three do. You have proven that it
does not take much to be consistently
involved with an issue -- only the will to do
so.
In Defense of Animals - I know you
have wanted to get more involved. Well now
is the time to do it. It is not difficult.
If all of you stepped it up a notch or two,
we just might
be able to make a difference.
BLINDERS: THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TRADITION
video documentary about the issue.
I recently learned that some of you are not
familiar with this documentary. It surprised
me. It was completed by Donny
Moss a few years ago. It is about the
carriage horse industry and won many awards
including the prestigious Genesis award. For
a time it
was shown on the Documentary channel and was
also available on line in its entirety.
A trailer
is on Youtube but it does not give
the entire film justice. You may order it
from this web site. Blinders:
the movie.
If your school, social club or other
organization would be interested in showing
this film, please get in touch with me at
coalition@banhdc.org.
Donny Moss also just created this new video
on Youtube called the ASPCA fails carriage
horses. Click
here.
JOIN US ON FACE BOOK & SIGN ONLINE PETITION
"Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever
has." Margaret Mead.
