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8-45- December 7, 2014
 
 

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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: Rally and Council Meeting to introduce ban carriage horse bill ** Opposing View article ** articles from TheDodo and One Green Planet ** Daily News on the stables ** Donate to our advertising campaign ** December schedule for demos ** Teamsters follow the money ** your online purchases can help us **

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.

RALLY AT CITY HALL FOR CARRIAGE HORSE BAN BILL
11 AM - Steps of City Hall; Council Meeting is 1 PM open to the public
On Monday, December 8th, the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages will be introduced in the City Council. Please join the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages and other groups at a rally at 11:00 am on the Steps of City Hall. At 1:00 pm, the City Council will hold a meeting at which the bill will be introduced by Council Member Daniel Dromm.

Founded in 2006, the Coalition is the first organization to campaign for a ban of this inhumane and unsafe business. In 2007, we collaborated with then Council Member Tony Avella who introduced the first ever bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. While the bill got some support and a lot of media attention, it was opposed by Mayor Bloomberg and Council Speaker Quinn. In 2010, we again collaborated with Tony Avella, who had become a State Senator. He introduced a similar bill into the State Legislature. This bill also got some support but the necessity of a Home Rule Memorandum proved to be too difficult to overcome.

It is now almost nine years later and we are still going strong. We will continue to work on this issue until the carriage trade is no more in NYC and the horses are safe. Besides advocating for legislation and convincing the Comptroller's office to conduct the first ever audit in 2007, our substantial body of work can be seen on our web site www.banhdc.org and many of our blogs and articles on these three web sites.

OUR NEW SUBWAY AD
We need your help.
This is our new subway ad. (It will be much larger, therefore legible.) At this time, we will be able to pay for ten posters and have targeted three subway stations. We would love to do more with your help. Each poster - printing and placement - is about $600. We plan to begin this campaign after the bill is introduced - this month. We will also resume with our newspaper ads in Metro.

If you would like to support our new subway campaign, please send your donation per the instructions on our web site.

Thanks to everyone who has already donated. It is very much appreciated.

TWO NEW ARTICLES ABOUT THE CARRIAGE TRADE
  • What Happens to NYC Carriage Horses When They're 'Retired'
    • - One Green Planet - 12/2/14 From the article: "When the DoH tried to change its regulations in December 2009 to require specific sales information for all horses sold, the industry complained and the requirement was rescinded. It is entirely possible that many of these horses are laundered through Amish farmers and go to auction frequented by kill buyers who need to make their quota for the Canadian horse meat market. After all this is how I found Bobby II Freedom, a NYC carriage horse, in 2010."

    From the article: "OUR MAIN CONCERN - The primary issue that has always concerned us is what happens to the horses when they are no longer wanted in the industry. There currently is no protection and we want to make sure this requirement appears in the new proposed legislation. The carriage trade and some of the media have brainwashed many to believe that if there is a ban, the horses will go to slaughter. This was successfully countered in a Forbes.com article in October 2013 by Vickery Eckoff, which made reference to the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries that offered to manage the process of finding homes for the horses through their member sanctuaries. "

      OPPOSING VIEWS: PHYLLIS M. DAUGHERTY TAKES ON THE ISSUE
      This contribution: NYC Mayor deBlasio Could Lose the Support of Labor Unions with His Horse-Drawn Carriage Ban - 12/4/14. This article discusses the advocacy of Donny Moss, film maker of Blinders and Elizabeth Forel, president of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages.

      from the article: " However, as New York Mayor Bill de Blasio prepares to introduce a bill on Monday to prohibit the city from renewing horse-drawn carriage licenses starting in mid-2016, he is also preparing to weather the icy reception by labor unions. His proposed bill also contains a provision to prevent the horses from being slaughtered and offers several job-saving provisions, including free green taxi medallions (value: $6,000) for horse-drawn carriage drivers."

      FOLLOW THE MONEY
      why the unions are opposed to a ban
      The unions helped to build the middle class. That is undeniable. But many have gone much too far with their greed. Finally they have the first pro union mayor in 20 years, Bill deBlasio, whose administration is painstakingly negotiating municipal contracts that had not been renewed for 5 years. This included some Teamsters in miscellaneous trades; teachers, NYPD, FDNY and many other city workers. Neither Bloomberg nor Giuliani were union friendly.

      So why are the unions, led by the Central Labor Council and the Teamsters, trying to bring deBlasio to his knees. It smells like greed to me. The drivers are represented by the Teamsters, but not all of the drivers belong. I estimate their membership to be about 125 drivers. They pay $60 per month dues and get absolutely no benefits in return. No health care, no vacation. That amounts to approximately $90,000 a year in dues. The Teamsters do not want to give this up. GREED! Scratch the surface and you will find it is often about money -- and power.

      GREEN TAXIS: We will see the language of the bill on Monday, but have been told that there will be an extensive job retraining program offered in addition to a free medallion for a green taxi, which is worth about $6,000. These taxis operate in Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Bronx and upper Manhattan. The Wall Street Journal reported on the green cabs in June. Green Taxis Gaining Ground in New York City

      STABLE OWNERS, PROPERTY, AND DAILY NEWS PROPAGANDA
      City carriage horse stable owners in crisis over whether to sell before de Blasio's proposed ban - 12/6/14. This is presented by the Daily News, bastion of yellow journalism. Draw your own conclusions.

      SCHEDULE FOR EDUCATIONAL DEMOS
      Please note the demos for December:
      • Saturday, December 14th
      • Saturday, December 20th
      • Sunday, December 28th
      • Time: 1:00 to 3:00 PM
      • LOCATION: Hack line - north/west side of Central Park South off Fifth Avenue.
      As the weather gets colder, please dress warmly so you will feel comfortable standing outside for a few hours. This means warm socks, gloves, scarves, hats - the usual. We supply all posters and flyers. This is a "silent" protest. We do not chant and we ask that you do not engage in any altercations with the drivers or their passengers. The purpose of these events is to educate tourists and others about this trade.

      Please plan to come to these demos - as many as you can. From Thanksgiving through the end of the year, many of these horses are worked to exhaustion.

      HELP OUR ORGANIZATION BY SHOPPING ONLINE - iGIVE
      If you buy online, you can help the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
      igive Through a free registration with iGive, when you buy merchandise on line, your purchase will help us. Many organizations give a percentage of the sale to not for profit organizations at no cost to you. There are more than 1500 stores that include such popular ones as Amazon.com, Staples, Best Buy and Barnes & Noble. Click here to get started.

      On iGive - the name of our organization is "The Coalition for NYC Animals, Inc." Click here to begin.

      PLEASE JOIN US ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
      Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Google Blog & Flickr

      "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.

    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.