Horses Without Carriages International www.horseswithoutcarriages.org

The horse-drawn carriage trade continues with all of its inhumanity, its many accidents; lack of meaningful law enforcement, lack of safety - made stronger by the lies perpetrated by the NY Daily News, Teamsters and Working Families Party - lies that go unchallenged by the Mayor's office. We have been very patient, waiting for some action. But nothing has happened and we have reached our breaking point. We say enough is enough.

Please stand up for these exploited carriage horses and join the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages for a peaceful focused rally outside Gracie Mansion, the symbol of mayoral power in NYC.

• WHEN: Tuesday evening August 26, 2014
• WHERE: East 88th St. and East End Avenue at Gracie Mansion

"They whitewash their license plates; do not pay attention to the road, make illegal U-turns; leave their horses unattended and pull them by the bit - and still this tiny (but protected) industry manages to survive. WHY do these violations matter? Because failure to adhere to these basic laws-and basic rules of horsemanship-endangers the public safety."

Please vote at the bottom of the article on Buzzfeed - this will assure that more people see it. You can choose an icon.

Instructions

• http://www.council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml
• Plug in your address to find out who your Council Member is.
• Look for the telephone number for the District Office.
• SUGGESTED SCRIPT - YOU: Good morning, my name is [your name] and I am a constituent. I live on [your address] I support an unconditional ban on horse-drawn carriages and I would like to know what [your Council Member's name] position is on this issue. You might also tell them it is a public safety issue and it is inhumane. If you live outside of NYC, call Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito's office and tell them were you live.
• COUNCIL OFFICE: the person who answers the phone may transfer you to someone else or suggest you call the Legislative Office or actually take the message.
• YOU: If they support a ban - thank them; If they are on the fence ask them why and if they would be open to receiving some links to articles. If they are against the ban - ask them why and if they would be open to receiving some links to articles.
• IMPORTANT: If they say they would be willing to receive some information, ask them for the e-mail address of a specific person - maybe the Chief of Staff, maybe the Legislative Aide. Do not agree to send it to their office e-mail. You can say that you want to be sure someone receives it.
• Note: If the Council Office is not able to give you an answer, tell them that you will follow up in a week. Tell them this is a very important issue and you would like an answer. And follow up.

A few years ago, a carriage driver was trying to make an illegal u-turn with his horse, Oreo, on Central Park South. Oreo spooked when he encountered a big truck rumbling up the avenue. He bolted into traffic, lost his driver and ran up on the sidewalk - narrowly missing pedestrians. He continued to run down the street to 11th Avenue. That - as with Pumpkin, a recent accident - was a close call. When an out of control powerful horse comes running at you, he is not saying "excuse me, excuse me, sir, coming through." No - he is frantic and just wants to hot tail it away from the source of fear. He will trample you if you are in his way. For city officials to continue to allow this to happen is a huge mistake and very irresponsible.

Please donate what you can to help this ad campaign continue. We have come to the end of our Metro ad campaign but hope to start it up again soon. Please remember we are all volunteer and do not take salaries. Every penny you donate is put back into the organization. We are the organization that began the "ban" campaign in 2006 and we plan to continue our ad campaign until this inhumane, unsafe and abusive trade is stopped. We are hoping Mayor deBlasio takes positive action soon. Thanks to all of you who have donated to our campaign. It is much appreciated. We cannot do it without your help. Click here if you would like to donate.

Please read the accompanying article "It's a Safety Issue."

If NYC's horse-drawn carriage trade wasn't the subject of a highly publicized war between the industry and those who want to ban it, would Mr. de Souza have chosen to use carriages in his fashion show? Probably not. De Souza knows this stunt will get press coverage because of the controversy (it already has), and he knows he will get even more press coverage because of the planned protests. Is all PR good PR? Maybe - unless a horse spooks on the "runway," and a fashion model flies head first onto the pavement. Perhaps de Souza will cancel the show if he feels he has already received enough free publicity. Please sign PETA's petition and, if you live in the NYC area, join the protest. Finally, please watch the award-winning documentary film BLINDERS if have any questions about why horse-drawn carriages must be banned from NYC.