Horses Without Carriages International www.horseswithoutcarriages.org

The issue about u-turns is particularly vexing. The carriage trade has said that they are "exempt" from following this law. This is what one said "just for the record -- the u-turn at Columbus Circle is not a violation. The carriage drivers have blanket permission from the relevant traffic authorities to do it. So to say they are breaking the law is a LIE. You can't break a law you are legitimately exempt from." For those of you who know NYC - this is how it works. The carriages work inside and around Central Park until 9pm at night when they can go into other parts of the city. Central Park South (CPS) - on the south side of the park, runs east/west. The carriages come from the west passing through Columbus Circle, which is on the western end of the park. The drivers park their carriages (hack line) on CPS -- the better spots are closer to Fifth Avenue, which is the east border of the park. The less choice spots are closer to Columbus Circle. When the carriages drive east on CPS, they make a u-turn in the middle of the street to get on the park side. Sometimes it is closer to Columbus Circle if their spots are not choice. Otherwise, it is closer to Fifth Avenue. CPS is very congested with traffic and it is very dangerous to have a slow moving, flimsy carriage led by a horse making a u-turn. Last summer, a carriage horse named Oreo spooked when his driver was trying to make an illegal u-turn. The driver got down off his carriage when the horse began to spook and he lost control. Oreo went berserk and bolted into traffic, running for his life. What our city officials do not seem to get is that this business is a HEADLINE away from a real disaster. What is it going to take?! NYC is simply getting more crowded and congested. Horses are prey animals and very likely to spook in certain situations - a loud noise, umbrella opening, a smell. They are predictably unpredictable. At 1,500 to 2,000 pounds, these otherwise gentle animals become unwitting weapons as they run away from the source of fear. A few years ago, a bystander in Vienna was killed when a horse spooked and bolted, trampling her as he ran.

We reached out to Council Member Dan Garodnick's office to answer the question about u-turns. The CPS hack line is in his district. They, in turn, reached out to the local police precinct. This was the response. "Just heard back! The precinct says it is illegal and that they write a summons for any carriages (or motor vehicles) that make illegal u-turns. I told them that we had reports of this happening along Central Park South, and asked that they look out for it. " As expected, the carriage trade's response was one of fury. For years the drivers have gotten away with this - while officials gave them winks and nods and looked the other way as they continued to break the law .

A heartfelt THANKS to all of you who have already donated to this cause to be part of our advertising campaign. It is so appreciated. We plan to add a new ad soon and depending on our funds will hopefully continue through the fall. Please be part of history! If you would like to contribute and help us to get the message out in more papers, please send us a donation via this link. Click here. Donations by PayPal or check are welcome. Depending on the size, the number of times an ad is run, and the newspaper, the cost has ranged from $350 to $700 per ad. We are all volunteer so every dollar donated goes back into the organization.

What has happened in the past week or so is that one poll showed Anthony Weiner leading the race by 5 points over Quinn. Quinn had previously led in all the polls. Then shortly after another poll showed her leading Weiner by 2 points who was in turn leading Thompson by 2 points. Thompson picked up the Teachers Union endorsement (UFT) and one of the main Teamsters' locals. DeBlasio picked up former presidential candidate Howard Dean's endorsement. Quinn's memoirs, designed to be released during the mayoral campaign and to boost her status, have not been selling well at all.

• It is very clear to us who the best person for the job is and we support Bill deBlasio.
• Please volunteer for his campaign by contacting his campaign office
We like Bill. He is smart, compassionate and cares about people and animals. How unusual.
• Bill understands the issue with the carriage horse trade. He knows that the "electric cars" are too expensive and will not happen - that they will drag on a resolution to this problem for many more years. He has promised to shut down the business and essentially release the horses from bondage.

You can read the legislation by clicking on the bill numbers, S667 and A997 . Text in CAPS is new. Text with a strike through is deleted.

All of the information we previously published on our newsletter is now on our web site under What You Can Do. Please read it and take action.

This was from Donny Moss on the Defeat Christine Quinn page - a cause in which Bob was deeply involved. RIP BOB POMILLA - from Donny Moss Bob Pomilla, a veteran animal rights activist in NYC and a friend to many, died of natural causes yesterday. He was a kind, selfless, witty, intelligent and caring man. His elderly mother, to whom he was devoted, said, "Bob was always running out when people and animals needed help, even when he wasn't well. He was such a good man." I'm sure that other friends who have known Bob for years will pay tribute to him. After we find homes for his cats, we will do something as a community to celebrate his life and honor him. In the meantime, I will speak to Bob's mother about his wishes and keep people apprised.