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 ** Call the City Council ** Donate to our advertising campaign ** Your information requested ** Weather restrictions - what you can do ** Theirturn.net - on the horse carriage issue
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.
IT'S 2015 - WE HAVE A BILL - INTRO 573 - LET'S GET IT PASSED.
Urgent: Please take action - call the City Council
TELEPHONE TUESDAY: You can call your Council Member any day but we call it Telephone Tuesday to help you remember. Please take a few minutes to call your council member if they have not yet signed on to the bill. Your participation is the only way to make a difference -- not standing on the side line 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? This is link to INTRO 573 - the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages.
CLICK HERE to reach the Council web site to find out who your council member is. CALL the DISTRICT OFFICE - DO NOT E-MAIL OR FAX. These methods of communication are more likely to be ignored.
- 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 if [your Council Member's name] supports Intro 573, the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. You might also tell them it is a public safety issue and it is inhumane.
- 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. Ask them if they keep track of these calls.
- YOU: If they support a ban - thank them; If they are on the fence or opposed to the ban ask them why and if they would be open to receiving more information.
- 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. Contact us for assistance with this. coalition@banhdc.org
- 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. Follow up.
- RESULT OF PHONE CALL: Please let us know what happened - e-mail us at coalition@banhdc.org
OTHER CALLERS: this is for out-of-towners; those whose representatives have already signed on to the bill; and those whose representatives are opposed to a ban (you will find out who they are when you call.)
- CALL THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE:
- James Vacca - (Bronx) 718-931-1721
- Deborah Rose - (Staten Island) 718-556-7370
- David G. Greenfield - 718-853-2704
- Antonio Reynoso - 718-963-3141
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO:
- Visit the District Office of your Council Member. Tell them that you are a constituent and want the CM to support Intro 573. Ask for a meeting. Bring a hand written letter to the Council Member - this will go a long way.
- Call your Council Member every week if they are undecided to remind them of the support for this bill. Don't be shy. They represent you.
(photo by Juliana Rodriguez- notice the harness rubs.)
YOUR INFORMATION REQUESTED
Please help us move this campaign to the next level
I recently put out a request asking for your contact information so we can move to the next level -- thanks to those who already provided it. Starting now, we need to target the NY City Council much more than we have been doing. This is crucial to support this legislation. We hope you will be involved. To that end, we need to collect the following information from you if you are a NYC resident.
- Name (first and last)
- Street address
- City, State and zip code
- Telephone Number
- E-mail address
Please e-mail coalition@banhdc.org -- or simply hit "reply" on this e-mail.
NOTE: if you live outside of NYC and want to be more involved, please provide the same information requested.
Please know that we will not share your personal information with anyone. Thank you for helping the horses. Together, we can do this.
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
We need your help to get the word out
This is our new subway ad. (It will be much larger, therefore legible.) We have contracted for 14 posters and have targeted several subway stations. It will run for one month beginning in February planned to coincide with Valentine's Day. i We also expect to resume our newspaper ads in Metro soon.
If you would like to support our advertising campaign please send your donation per the instructions on our web site. Thanks so much to those of you who have supported our ad campaign. Please know that ever dollar of your donation goes into our organization. We are all volunteer and accept no salaries.
8 REASONS WHY HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES CANNOT BE OPERATED HUMANELY OR SAFELY IN NYC
new article from Theirturn.net
8 REASONS WHY HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGES CANNOT BE OPERATED HUMANELY OR SAFELY IN NYC - January 5. 2015 - by Donny Moss. From the article: 1. Horses spook: Horses are prey animals who can be spooked by sirens, potholes, barking dogs and many other stimuli. When spooked horses bolt down congested city streets, they become weapons. Many horse-drawn carriages crashes in NYC have been caused by spooked horses.
2. Urban environment: Horses are living animals, but, by forcing them to work in the streets with aggressive taxi drivers, tour buses and emergency vehicles, the carriage operators are treating them like motor vehicles. They simply do not belong in the busy streets of NYC. 3. No pastures: Horses are grazing animals, but NYC has no pasture where they can graze, run, roll and interact physically, as herd animals do. They are either confined between the shafts of their carriages, encumbered by equipment, or kept in stalls. (photo Donny Moss)
WEATHER RESTRICTIONS - WHAT TO DO
NYC is currently going through a very cold period. If the weather is 18 degrees Fahrenheit or below, the NYPD is supposed to suspend the trade. They are also supposed to do this with snow, icy conditions and heavy rain. Let's make sure they do: Here are numbers to call if you see a carriage out under these circumstances. Get the license number and location:
- MOUNTED UNIT - 212-868-2585
- CENTRAL PARK PRECINCT - (212) 570-4820
- MIDTOWN NORTH PRECINCT - (212) 767-8400
- REPORT TO 311 - by phone or ON LINE.
This picture, taken by Donny Moss, occurred a few years ago since NYC has not yet been hit by a serious snow storm this year. The carriage trade should have been suspended that day, but it was not out of negligence. The drivers often ignore the law, more interested in making a buck.
SCHEDULE FOR NEXT DEMO
Sunday February 15th
SAVE THE DATE-MARK YOUR CALENDARS. Join us on Sunday, February 15th, for a demo & outreach event of 2015. Until there is a ban, our outreach events will continue.
- Where: Hack line - north/west corner Central Park South & 5th Avenue
- Time: 1:00 to 3:00 pm
HELP OUR ORGANIZATION BY SHOPPING ONLINE - iGIVE
If you buy online, you can help the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages
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.
