BASED ON A LIE: THE FAILURE OF THE HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE BAN

BASED ON A LIE 

 "If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth" --  a profound and disturbing quote attributed to Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Propaganda Minister in Nazi Germany,  but also to Vladimir Lenin, founder of the  Russian Communist party.

This is exactly what happened with the defeat of the campaign to ban the inhumane and archaic horse-drawn carriage trade in NYC,  something that any caring, civilized people would have done long ago.   It is unmanageable  and an ongoing embarrassment to the city.  

Those who wanted to defeat the horse-drawn carriage ban included the self-serving Teamsters and other unions, carriage owners and drivers, many politicians – and the media – mostly the NY Daily News – all with their own reasons – but getting behind the real truth had nothing to do with it.   

 NYC horse collapses - Sept. 2, 2016

Loss of Good Union Jobs:  The main lie was that the shuttering of this trade would cause a loss of “good union jobs.”  That claim was not only not questioned by many Council Members but was used to make their case to people who believe everything they read.   They wanted union support when they came up for reelection.  Truth be damned. 

Stable Land:  The second lie was that the real estate developers were lusting over the stable land so they could make lots of money putting up luxury apartment buildings. 

Both of these lies resonated with people – job loss and unfairness by the real estate industry – David and Goliath.  But to those of us who know the truth it just confirmed that too many people believe what they read and hear and do not exercise critical thinking.  Other lies did not quite catch on as well but served as the cake icing to support the big lies – the number of horses who have died while working in the trade; horses would go to slaughter; the age of the industry to make it appear iconic; exaggerated size of stalls; horse vacations;  industry regulated by several city agencies with pages and pages of regulations; highly exaggerated financial contribution to the economy; safety being a non-issue.  Start with one lie – and if it catches on and the chumps buy it, then the sky’s the limit. 

I have written about this many times in my blogs – challenging the media – especially the NY Daily News for perpetuating lie after lie to ensure that the carriage industry remains in NYC.   It has now been ten months since the failure of the ill-conceived bill that foolishly proposed building stables in Central Park but it seems that this phony issue is still rearing its ugly head. 

Back on the Scene:  Now re-enter head of the Transport Workers Union, John Samuelsen.  In an October 23, 2016 op-ed piece in the NY Daily News he gratuitously attacked Mayor deBlasio whose administration once again turned the other cheek and did not fight back.    “Transport union boss rips Mayor deBlasio for ignoring everyday New Yorkers, warns labor leaders to rethink supporting him in next election.” 

Samuelsen did a good deed last January when he came to the defense of the pedicab drivers who were being shafted by the City via the proposed legislation – but they never unionized so one wonders if this ploy was just to get attention.   He obviously has his own ax to grind with the mayor – and I say – have at it – but not on the backs of the horses please, promoting lies.  Does Mr. Samuelson have so little respect for his supporters that he will lie to make a point? 

This is from the Daily News article and I have highlighted the lies with my comments below challenging them. 

“Real estate interests, meanwhile, for years have been drooling over the West Side properties where the popular horse carriage drivers stable their beloved animals. Giving tourists rides through Central Park is a pretty good union job. It has allowed many men and women to put food on the table, and put their children through college.

What did de Blasio do? He repeatedly tried to prohibit carriage rides in the city and wipe out hundreds of jobs. That would have set the stage for real estate barons to finally buy the properties and put up more skyscrapers that 99% of New Yorkers can't even afford.

In seeking the ban, the mayor claimed he was concerned about the horses' health and welfare. Another crock. He never even bothered to actually visit the stables. And as the New York Daily News reported, independent experts said horses are "healthy, happy and well cared for."

As one veterinarian said in The News: "These horses are being treated with pride and compassion, often by their individual owners/drivers.  It never was about the horses. It was about Bill and his campaign donors and proxy attack dogs in the real-estate industry. The mayor clearly sided with the ultra-rich real estate industry (aka his campaign donors) over the trade union movement and all workers.”

Whoa:  This has been very successful propaganda.  Babes in the woods, de Blasio and his administration did not stand a chance.    De Blasio was never adequately prepared about the carriage horse issue and either would or could not challenge the lies coming from the unions, Council Members and the media.  He did not even know the language of the original bill, talking about the electric cars in a question and answer event in the Mid West.   He, like most Democratic politicians, are beholden to the unions.    

Why:  Why was the NY Daily News out to get him – obviously using this issue as a metaphor for something else.   Perhaps it was because they never wanted him to be Mayor.   

Unions, on the other hand,  are losing membership throughout the country.   By taking this issue on,  lying about the good union jobs – and winning – it was hoped to elevate their status. 

Construction Union Jobs:  The far west side is part of massive new construction to gentrify the area.  To even suggest that real estate developers are drooling over the paltry stable property is embarrassing.  These are relatively small plots, which could bring the owners at least $10 million for each one if they decided to sell, which is their choice and not a land grab as some has suggested.  

Hudson Yards is the biggest development project in the city since Rockefeller Center was built in the 1930s, translating into hundreds of union jobs.  New construction may well grow up around the stables, leaving the stable owners with devalued property.   The ultimate joke will be on them. 

The irony over this silly dishonest claim is that new construction brings UNION JOBS.  Mr. Samuelson and his Teamster friends are being disingenuous. Unions have benefited greatly by the growth of construction all over the city, but particularly Hudson Yards and the adjacent areas.  The construction jobs in Hudson Yards has been a windfall for the unions.  

Good Union Jobs for carriage drivers?   No way.  Of the approximately 244 carriage-driving licenses, only about 120 drivers belong to the Teamster local.  Without total participation, it is not a “union shop” and there are no benefits.  This means no medical, sick or vacation days – and certainly no 401ks to save for retirement.  So to even hint that this is a good union job compared to what the MTA workers have is insulting to all of us – not the least to loyal union members.   This ploy was to bring down Mayor de Blasio and he was not astute enough to fight back.  It also propped up the owners of the 68 medallions, most of whom pay little in city income taxes because of their extensive deductions in a cash only business. 

As for those “independent” experts who claim the horses live a great life – name them please with all of their affiliations.  We do know that the “study” that showed how calm city horses are was paid for by the carriage trade and only tested on a handful of horses.  

 NOT a good union job. 

 About unions:  I generally support unions – they helped create the middle class.  But this is not about the value of unions - it is about the ethics and morality of lying to get your way, which must be indefensible in a civilized, democratic society.   The truth is that unions are in deep trouble all over the United States.  But lying to get attention will not ultimately help. 

Yes, I have had the "audacity" to criticize the unions here - but please – no death threats.  It has happened before.  Vicious comments on the blog - anonymous or not - will be deleted and/or reported.  You will not get your 15 minutes of fame on my dime.

This is a link to the accident record we have kept.  It does not include the “accident’ that occurred on Labor Day weekend, pictured above,  when a driver forced his horse to make a turn and the horse collapsed. 

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NYC CARRIAGE HORSE STABLES - YOU BE THE JUDGE.

CARRIAGE HORSE STABLES

There are good horse stables and there are bad horse stables.

Judge for yourself

    In NYC, the law allows carriage horse horse stalls to be as small as 60 square feet – 6’ x 10’ – even though many of the horses are large drafts weighing upwards of 2,000 pounds.  Equine  experts recommend stalls be 144 square feet or 12' x 12'  - with even more space

    provided to larger horses.  There is not enough space in NYC to do this right and the
    drivers want to cram in as many money-making machines (horses) as possible.  This is,

    after all, a business - not a horse-sanctuary.  When these horses cannot cut it anymore,

    they are gone.  

   
    The law does not require turnout to pasture since the land does not exist.  The law also

    allows the stalls to be on upper floors – accessible by a steep ramp.  How steep is it you

    ask?  Imagine a warehouse building with two floors connected by a staircase.  Remove

    the stair and replace it with a ramp, which because of the small space, is very steep.  This

    is how the horses access their stalls.  It is uncomfortable for them,  especially the older

    ones, to go up and down every day. The ideal is to have the stalls on the first floor.  

   These are some pictures published by ChelseaNow lauding these stables as old New 

    York.  But they are not historical landmark material.  They are just old, smelly, decrepit 

   buildings that warehouse horses like a prison. 

   These pictures are available for the public via this newspaper.  However they are nothing

   to be proud of. 

Chateau Stables on 48th St. - This stall is too small for this carriage horse at 60 square feet.   The horse still wears a  halter.  Although permissible, it is obviously done for the convenience of the drivers.  But it is uncomfortable for a horse to wear it 24/7.   More proof that these horses are just "products" and money making machines. 

Carriage Horse stable - Although Liam Neeson might want to live here, it is a disaster for horses.  Note that it has one means of egress in the middle.  If there were a fire, the horses would panic trying to descend a ramp to get out one exit.   This is what the unions and City Council want to preserve? 

Carriage Horse stable - Clinton Stables  on 52nd St. - It is not OK for a horse to be sharing his oats with pigeons.  The pigeons defecate on the oats in the bucket, which is then eaten by the horses. 

West Side Livery on 38th St. - small and cramped and dirty.  Couldn't they at least have cleaned up for the photographer?  I guess they did not care. 
 Again - horses wearing halters.



WHAT A STABLE SHOULD BE AND
 HOW HORSES SHOULD LIVE

This stable belongs to a rescue in Massachusetts.  The stalls are 12' x 12' with a 10' wide aisle.  Note the horses are not wearing halters while resting.  The name of this rescue is withheld to prevent them from being harassed.  

Horses are herd animals and love to graze.   This is something that is not available for them in NYC. 

      NYC should not be supporting this business.  It is cruel and inhumane to the horses.  No 

     matter how hard the carriage owners, Liam Neeson, some of the Council members and 

     others try to make this look romantic and "olde New York."  it is inhumane and marks NYC

     as one that does not care about animals. 

    

     It is also unsafe and dangerous to people whether the horses are housed in Hells Kitchen or Central Park.

  

     Additionally, the 68 medallion owners are the only ones who make out here -- not the

      drivers.  Do not believe that there are 350 "good union jobs."  There are only 120 drivers

     who belong to the union and they receive no benefits. 

     Unions are losing membership all over the country and they need this to show their

    strength.  But it is based on a lie at the expense of the horses.  The Mayor and Council 
    Members are terrified that the unions will come after them in the next election. 

 

    So in the end -- what are they trying to protect?  What is really behind all of this nonsense?

    Is this the kind of city you want to live in?  

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THE MYSTERIES OF THE HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE HACK LINE IN NYC

HACK LINE MYSTERIES ....

On Thursday night at the hack line -- November 12, 2015 -  horse after horse was left unattended near Seventh Avenue, standing around waiting for fares that never came.  This is not unusual. 

It is both dangerous and illegal to leave carriage horses unattended and untethered in New York City.  It is written into the NYC Administrative Code - §17–330  Regulations. 
But no one in authority is paying attention.

It also raises the questions: where is all the business? And why is the carriage trade digging in their heels to keep this questionable business.? 

We have observed this many times.  No business.  So we continue to ask the question:  WHY!

Why does this cash only business still exist?   What/who is behind it?   Fewer than 250  licenses have been issued by the Department of Consumer Affairs to drive a horse-drawn carriages.  Some of those licensees are not actively involved and live in other cities and countries, holding onto the license because it is inexpensive.  There are only 68 medallions / owners.   The other drivers are independent contractors who have to take care of their own taxes and get a percentage of their fares.  Only 120 drivers belong to the union.  Because it is not 100%, it is not a union shop and this means that there are no  benefits.  No health care, no vacation days, no 401 K/s.  Nothing.  It is name only.  This obviously means that they are not "good union jobs" as many think.  

So why are they still hanging on?

Why is the Mayor and City Council allowing this inhumane and unsafe business to continue?  Why are they afraid of this tiny group of people? 

These are the $64,000 questions.  

Unattended and untethered -- no driver in sight  © Mary Culpepper

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Unattended and untethered -- no driver in sight  - © Mary Culpepper

Unattended and untethered -- no driver in sight - © Mary Culpepper

Carriage drivers standing around by the wall, as their horses are unattended: illegal, dangerous, and curious -  where is all the business that has made them dig their heels in?   © Mary Culpepper

Unattended and untethered -- no driver in sight - © Mary Culpepper

Carriage driver is so bored that he's relaxing in the back of the carriage, leaving his horse unattended illegally and endangering the public safety as well as the horse.  © Mary Culpepper

BEWARE: THE MEDIA IS MANAGING THE CARRIAGE HORSE ISSUE IN NYC

BEWARE:  THE MEDIA IS MANAGING THE CARRIAGE HORSE ISSUE IN NYC - DON'T FALL FOR IT. 

Roger retires:  In the last week,  the Daily News,  a right wing bastion of support for the carriage trade,  has run several stories about Roger – a carriage horse owned by driver Ian McKeever.  At 21, Roger is finally being retired after 17 years in the business.  According to the News, he is going to a farm in Syosset, Long Island.    They recently published this letter from “Roger”to Mayor deBlasio.      

I'm very glad for Roger but I do wonder about him being in this business since the age of 4. 

Romantic?  NO  - Dangerous?  YES

Many experts would say that was too young and he was not fully grown at 4 years.    - especially for a draft horse to begin in this kind of business.   

Yes, it makes a good story to say he was rescued from slaughter.  But to work for 17 years?  Come on.   Roger was the same as all the other horses – he worked 9 hours a day, 7 days a week only to come home to his stall and not have any access to pasture to graze and socialize with other horses; to mutually groom each other to relieve stress from a long day’s work. His "exercise" consisted of pulling tourists around Central Park and dodging cars in traffic. But a good amount of the time he was standing at the hack line waiting and waiting and waiting for customers -- not even free to scratch an itch.  This is neither "exercise" nor humane. 

I hope he can adjust to his new life.  He certainly deserves it.  And I also hope he is not

Roger

worked and made to pull anything.   At 21, Roger is considered to be “old" and should have been retired several years ago.    

Roger has brought good attention to this abusive and exploitative industry and in the hands of the supportive Daily News, a tabloid that cannot separate fact from opinion, it seems to be working. 
 

But this is not the whole story – far from it.  
Corporate Welfare:  In 2001, the City of New York leased a stable on W. 45^th St. to Ian McKeever and his partner. - -charging him a subsidized rent of only $5,000 a month for a stable that could easily have brought the City $60,000 a month.   This is all according to Mr. McKeever as reported in the NY Times when the City decided to sell the property to a real estate developer in 2010.    In 2001, the City also paid for outfitting the stables to the tune of about $500,000.  This happened under Mayor Bloomberg’s administration.  

In other words, the City had been subsidizing a private business to the tune of almost $1,000,000 (including the fit out) over this period of time. 

Is this right?  How many other private businesses do you know of that were subsidized like this?  If someone does not have the capital to make a go of it in a business, they either borrow with the intent to pay back with interest or they do not move forward.  That is capitalism.  But to be subsidized – on the tax payer’s dime?!

There is something very wrong with this picture and the media is not reporting on it.  Instead they continue to try to manipulate the facts and choose the ones to present to you.  Don’t fall for it.

The carriage driver/owners as a whole are conservative in their politics, which means they do not like government interference or control.  But what about corporate welfare?  Is that supposed to be OK.?

But that’s just money and business.  There is something worse going on. 

Missing Horses?:  At that time, the NY Times listed the names of the horses owned by Mr. McKeever who were being sent to a “farm."  Molly, Chestnut, Max, Patty, Jeter and Bosco.   But  as of January 2014, only Molly is still on the Department of Health list of horses. 

What happened to the others?  Did Mr. McKeever bring them to auction?  Or did he find good placement for them as he did for the popular and photogenic TV star, Roger?  At the time, the ASPCA offered to help him with placement for the horses but he refused. 

Perhaps he would like to tell the public what happened to these horses. 

The City of NY does not keep records of horses sold outside the city. 

Bobby II Freedom

Big turnover of horses in business:  Last spring I released a report that showed a turnover of 529 carriage horses in the NYC business over a period of 7 ½ years – averaging about 71 horses a year.  Where did they all go?   This was a very well documented report, yet the media was not interested in covering it. 

So the public continues to assume -- because the media said so --  that the horses remain the same from year to year and when a ban occurs, they will all go to slaughter.

Were these horses too unattractive; too slow; too jittery, too weak; did they have health problems?  Were they nervous in traffic?  Some of them lasted several years in the business so this is not a case of trying the horse for a month and then deciding that he or she did not work out.    I recall a horse named Beauty associated with West Side Livery stable.  Tape was added to his blinders to prevent him from having any peripheral vision because he was so nervous.  He is no longer in the business and there is no record of where he went.     

Bobby II Freedom - I do know what happened to one of those horses - Bobby II Freedom.  In June 2010, I became aware of a NYC carriage horse at the New Holland kill auctions in Pennsylvania.  Joining forces with Equine Advocates, Bobby was rescued and is now living the good life at their sanctuary in upstate New York.  Bobby had been dumped by his owners from West Side Livery stable who wanted to replace him for a newer model.   This is Bobby's story.  

The public deserves to know the truth about the business and the media is not telling them.  

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