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HORSE SENSE
Periodic updates about issues and actions concerning New York City's Carriage Horses +
Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
www.banhdc.org
Horses Without Carriages International
www.horseswithoutcarriages.org
PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES - In this issue: ** Dispelling Teamster Myths ** Equine Anarchy - letter ** Telephone Tuesday call the City Council ** NYC carriage horses working in Amish country ** Sign petition for Jane Velez-Mitchell
NOTE: the best way to receive this newsletter is to subscribe directly. Although I post it on other lists, sometimes (for reasons unknown) they do not approve it - so you are subject to their whims. PLEASE CLICK HERE to subscribe directly. If you want to see past newsletters - CLICK HERE for our archive.
DISPELLING TEAMSTER MYTHS
a new blog challenging the fairy tale
For more than one year -- since Mayor deBlasio won the mayoral primary, we have had to endure many lies and distortions in the media. From the Daily News to Liam Neeson to the Teamsters -- it has been virtually impossible to get the truth out about the horse-drawn carriage issue. This is a blog I wrote published in the Animal Rights blog published in Times Union. The NYC Horse-Drawn Carriage Issue: Dispelling Teamster Lies
These are some excerpts from the blog:
- TEAMSTER SPEAK: There have been only three equine deaths due to collisions with motorized vehicles and no human fatalities.
- TRUTH: This is quintessential "teamster speak" manipulating the facts so it is only about collisions when other causes of death are equally as important. In fact there have been many reported deaths of horses in this industry. In January 2006 when we started this campaign, Spotty had just died from a spooking accident. Later in September, Juliet, an old mare, was diagnosed with Exertional Rhabdomyolisis or "Tying up Syndrome" and died in her stall. In 2007, Smoothie was killed in another spooking accident. In 2011, Charlie collapsed and died on the street on his way to the park. This does not account for the many horses who died behind closed doors in the stables from colic or another cause. The only way to know this is through the Freedom of Information Law. Since we started analyzing the known incidents, at least 13 horses have died publicly in 30 years. This does not include horses who died in the stables. While it is true there have been no human deaths in NYC, there have been human deaths elsewhere that involve carriage horses and it is only a matter of time before it happens here. The Teamsters' position is irresponsible because they deny the nervous nature of these powerful horses who spook easily and become unwitting weapons when frightened, bolting into traffic causing havoc. It's a Safety Issue addresses these concerns.
- TEAMSTER SPEAK:
The horse carriages contribute $19 million to the tourism industry.
TRUTH: The source of the $19 million number is Steve Nislick from NYClass. When projecting the income expected from a new electric car tourism industry, he estimated the income from the carriage industry for comparison. It was an unfortunate overestimated guess and these numbers could not be substantiated. This is a cash only industry made up of 68 separate businesses, whose tax returns are private. Nevertheless, that did not prevent Crain's NY Business, Daily News and many others in the media from citing this puffed up number. The bigger the number, the more viable and important the carriage industry sounds.
The Teamster flyer also claims that the drivers make between $40,000 and $100,000 per year. But these numbers do not jibe with the $19,000,000 figure also on the flyer.
A confidential source from the carriage trade has told us the income is more like $10,000,000 annually but only about half of that gets reported to the IRS since it is a cash only business. Using a figure of approximately 4% for NYC tax, this would mean that the industry is contributing only about $200,000 annually to the tax coffers of NYC not the $760,000 that their supporters claim.
The way this can be settled once and for all is to have all drivers - owners and employees both - submit their tax returns for public scrutiny. But until then, they need to stop lying about how viable their industry is.
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EQUINE ANARCHY - LETTER TO THE EDITOR
printed in Daily News - October 17, 2014
Manhattan: In January 2014, the NYPD took over enforcing carriage-horse regulations from the ASPCA. For the most part, street officers or those who answer the phone at Midtown North or Central Park Precinct do not know this or much care. "Not my job" is the common response. The result is anarchy: horses left unattended and untethered, uturns, lame horses, violations of area and time restrictions - much worse than when the ASPCA was involved. Commissioner Bill Bratton and Mayor de Blasio: This is an unacceptable and shameful situation. Please do something! Elizabeth Forel, Coalition to Ban Horse Drawn Carriages
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/october-17-ex-nycers-plagues-pedestrians-article-1.1976958
pic shows carriage drivers with a horse-drawn carriage in the Climate March. This was illegal. They never got permission from the Department of Transportation or the NYPD and they got away with it. Only in NY.
DON'T FORGET: TELEPHONE TUESDAY - October 21st
Please take a few minutes to call your Council Member
Telephone Tuesday is our new initiative to help you remember to make your call. On Tuesday (or any day) please take a few minutes to call your Council Member -- if you have not yet done so. Thanks to all of you who have made the calls -- particularly those who called from outside NYC. Thanks for caring so much.
Your participation is the only way to make a difference -- not standing on the side lines and expecting someone else to do it. If you do not make the small effort to call your Council Member, how do you expect they will know your views?
Ten months into the deBlasio administration and we are no closer to shutting down the inhumane and unsafe carriage trade than we were one year ago. Please contact your council member and ask him or her to support a bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. CALL THEM. Do not e-mail or fax. These methods of communication are more likely to be ignored.
- NYC RESIDENTS: www.council.nyc.gov -- Call your Council Member.
- OUTSIDE NYC: Call Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito's office. 212-828-9800
deleted. Calls have much more impact and a
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.They might say that there a bill had not yet been introduced. Tell them that the Mayor has said a bill will be introduced soon and you want to know in general whether they would support a ban or not.
- 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.
THESE ARE THE ARTICLE LINKS:
RESULT OF PHONE CALL: Please let us know what happened - e-mail us at coalition@banhdc.org
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL TV SHOW CANCELED
Please sign petition
We learned last week that CNN/HLN has canceled Jane Velez-Mitchell's show. This is so unfortunate because Jane is the only person on TV who brings the truth about animal issues to the public. We hope she gets something bigger and better. In the meantime, please sign this petition started by one of her many supporters.
Click HERE for petition. Please share on Facebook and anywhere else.
HOW TO REPORT ANIMAL CRUELTY TO 311
NYC: It remains a mystery just how the NYPD has taken over for the ASPCA to enforce anti cruelty laws and the carriage horse regulations, which means that the industry is out of control as usual. We continue to try to find out. But ten months later, we still do not have any answers.
If you see anything involving animals that you want to report -- and it is not an emergency - please go on line to 311. If it is about a carriage horse, please remember to get the license plate number on the back of the carriage and a description of the horse and if possible, the 4-digit engraved number on the left front hoof.
Please note that even if you report something directly to the NYPD, use this system as a a back up.
- DIRECTIONS:
- go to this link http://www1.nyc.gov/311/index.page
- Click on "Make a Complaint"
- Select: Get Help with - "Public Health and Safety"
- Specifically "Animal Abuse"
- Click on "Report the neglect or abuse of an animal."
- User Alert page comes up next
- Note: Dial 911 if an emergency response is required
- Click on "Start" at the bottom
- Follow the instructions and submit.
Print out a copy and take a reference number if available.
NYC CARRIAGE HORSES WORKING AT AMISH FARMS
video proof
I recently wrote a blog The Truth About those Summer Vacation - suggesting that some of the horses work for the Amish when they are supposed to be relaxing. Well here is a video posted by a carriage driver that confirms it. Click here.. The actual name on the original video is "The Amish in Pa Ploughing, Working horses.Some work in Central Park Carriages. --
Working horses on the land in Lancaster Co. Some of the same Belgians also work as New YORK CITY"
We have asked the administration to investigate and inspect the farms where the horses go to have their "5-week vacation." We have not heard back.
PLEASE JOIN US ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google Blog & Flickr
HELP OUR ORGANIZATION BY SHOPPING ON LINE - iGIVE
Also check out Cafe Press to purchase CBHDC merchandise
Through a free registration with iGive, when you buy merchandise on line, your purchase will help us. There are over 700 stores that include such popular ones as Amazon.com, Staples, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble. Even Cafe Press is available if you purchase some of our merchandise. Click here to get started.
On iGive - the name of our organization is "The Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc." Click here to begin. We also have three stores on Cafe Press with great t-shirts, bags, hats, mugs, mouse pads, etc. Purchasing this merchandise helps our organization. Click here.
"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.
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Thank you for caring about the horses,
Elizabeth Forel - Coalition to Ban
Horse-Drawn Carriages - a standing committee
of The Coalition for New York City Animals,
Inc.
Please DONATE
to our campaign to ban
the inhumane and unsafe carriage horse industry.
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