STOP THE INSANITY!

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO STOP THE INSANITY?  

 Did you know that the ban of the carriage horse trade is dependent on the success of the "electric cars, " which may never happen and if they do, their fate will be left up to tourists?   

injured driver

What is it going to take to shut down the inhumane and unsafe carriage trade in NYC?  This question is now being asked with new fervor in light of the recent accident involving a spooked horse. 

Human injuries do not seem to matter – be it a broken hip suffered by an elderly bike rider a few years back or more minor scratches and bruises; a driver in a coma for months close to death; injured horses like the recent Oreo or Doreen, Bud and Charlie to name a few – or the dead horses – Tony, Spotty, Jackie, Charlie, Juliette, Smoothie – and these are just the ones that immediately come to mind. 

WHO can end the carriage trade in New York City and why are they not doing anything about it considering that every online poll since 2006 has shown between 75 and 80 percent  of respondents want this business to be shut down?

1. Mayor Michael Bloomberg can use his influence to get such bills passed.  But he supports this business.  Why?  The real truth is anyone’s guess because it simply does not make sense.   His daughter is a world-class equestrian, known to oppose this trade – surely she knows that New York City is a very bad environment for horses and I am sure she would never subject her horses to these conditions.  
2. The Speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, can do the same.  She, too, is a big supporter of the carriage trade.  Why?  It is clearer here because of her allegiance to the Queens Democratic Party, which put her in power.  It is all politics.  But then, Quinn has killed every meaningful animal issues bill that has been in the Council since she became Speaker – so she obviously does not care. 
3. The City Council - The Council is not a democratic body.  For the most part, which means almost always, Council Members  vote the way the Speaker tells them.  If not, they risk losing their committee chairs and lucrative stipends that the Speaker doles out.  Unfortunately, there are virtually no City Council Members with a backbone to stand up to Quinn and say – “Enough is Enough!  Let’s get those horses off the street before someone is killed.” 
4. The State Legislature – there is a real chance here with the bill sponsored by Senator Tony Avella and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal.  The bill is essentially the same as the historic one Senator Avella introduced in the City Council in 2007 when he was a Council Member.  One big problem with this bill is that it needs a Home Rule approval memo from the City Council, which is unlikely to happen.  However, the bill will be reintroduced in January when the State Legislature reconvenes and it will address these issues.  Stay tuned. 
5. A new humane mayor.  Ah there is the rub.  Who will it be?  

Oreo  - victim of accident

On September 23^rd, Senator Tony Avella was interviewed by the Queens Chronicle about the  September 16^th accident in which Oreo, a young carriage horse, spooked on Central Park South from a truck or loud construction noise as his driver was making an illegal u-turn.  He bolted into traffic, dragging his carriage with two tourists, sans driver, behind him, crashing into cars as he panicked.  He was eventually stopped and tranquilized by police.  This  never should have happened.  NYC traffic is an abomination and is no place for such a volatile,  unpredictable and powerful  animal.   

“Enough is enough,” Avella  said. “How many more accidents, injuries and deaths is it going to take before we end this inhumane industry?  

One of the carriage drivers caught on videotape countered with the response ”accidents happen.”  Christina Hansen, spokesperson for the Horse and Carriage Association of New York,  said, "Just because a horse once in a blue moon spooks, doesn’t mean something terrible is going to happen." Fox News 8-17-12.  Many people would beg to differ.  There is no necessity for the carriage horse business to exist and thus, no accidents need occur. 

Horses are nervous prey animals who can spook and bolt at the slightest provocation.  At 1,500 to 2,000 pounds, they become unwitting weapons and can seriously injure or kill themselves or bystanders.  In 2010, a bystander was killed in Saltzburg, Austria  when a spooked horse plowed into her.   She died from head  injuries. 

So why is the City Council not standing up to Christine Quinn and demanding a true ban – instead of trying to pass the destructive electric car bill?    With this bill, a ban of the horses will depend on the success of the electric cars, which are much too expensive and probably will not happen.  They are wasting their time and the time of trusting activists.  At approximately $175,000 per car, the supporters would need to raise $11,900,000 to replace 68 carriages over a three-year period.  This is not realistic.  They apparently have not even been able to raise $400,000 for the prototype.  One scenario, and the worst thing that can happen,  is that they would  only be able to raise a few million dollars for perhaps ten cars.  Investors lose interest and are maxed out because the cars are not catching on.  Why invest in a white elephant?  Then this cruel and unsafe business will never be banned.  The cars will coexist alongside the carriage horses, which is never what any of us wanted.  Accidents will continue to happen. 

And it is all because the ASPCA, PETA,  HSUS and NY Class  will not support and put their collective energy behind a real ban  - i.e. the Avella/Rosenthal bill -  and have convinced some people to support a bill that will be a disaster if passed. What animal organizations are doing with pretending to create a new tourist industry instead of supporting and putting their energy into a full ban is beyond my comprehension. 

And please let’s forget this drivel about keeping tourist dollars.  Most people come to NYC for something other than a ride on a carriage.  When someone pays $50 for a carriage ride, considering it is a cash only business, how much of that is turned over to the government for taxes?  Other than during the holiday season, the carriages often do not have customers.  If NY Class, the creator of this project, wants to sponsor an electric car business, let them do it  - but after the carriage trade is shut down and the horses are safe.  A ban of the horse-drawn carriage trade should not be dependent on the success of the electric cars.  

Jobs?  The carriage drivers will not drive the electric cars because they are opposed to this new industry.   So even if the cars happen, the hired drivers will come from another job pool.  It is not a  “win/win” as the supporters like to promote.  It will not save those particular jobs. 

And about those particular jobs?  The  drivers have been put on notice for many years that something like this would happen.  How much longer are legislators going to allow them to hold NYC hostage?  And how much longer are people who want a ban going to let the City Council get away with inaction?  There are only about 150 people in the business who are full time.  Why is the City Council making such a big deal about this?   Other people lose their jobs and no one is crying about them – including government workers, corporate workers, and those who work in stores that have shut down because of high rents or neighborhood gentrification.  Why is this trade so entitled?  That said – Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal has said she will work with the drivers to find them new employment.  And the good news is that jobs in the tourist sector have grown.  

Read what Councilmember Vincent Gentile says about the cars in an interview he gave to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle on August 22 in an article entitled. Gentile works on horse carriage compromise.  

 - Gentile said that while he has respect for animal rights advocates, he is also aware of the importance of carriage horses to the city’s tourist industry, an industry that brings in millions of dollars a year.   

Because carriage driving is a cash only business, Council Member Gentile has no idea how much the carriage trade brings in and should not be making these kinds of statements without providing proof.  Other than during the holiday season in November and December, the carriages are often seen lined up with no passengers and bored horses.  

 - “It’s a tourist attraction, so we have to be careful. You want to protect the carriage horses and you want to protect the jobs of the people who operate the carriage horses,” he said.

Why is the City being held a prisoner to this business?  Unless this tie is broken, there will never be any progress.  Why is it so necessary to protect these jobs and not those of so many other people who have lost their jobs in this economy?  

And this from the article:

Under the pilot program, the carriage horses would co-exist with electric-powered cars, Gentile said. Tourists would be given a choice of whether they would want to ride around Central Park and midtown in a quiet car, or a horse-drawn carriage.

“And we would let the public decide which is better,” the councilman said.

This is the kicker and the reason why this bill is dangerous and should not be supported! Why should the public – tourists who may never come back to NYC – decide about the safety of New Yorkers and the future of the carriage horses?  This is a frightening and absurd statement! 

The carriage horse business has proven itself to be very unsafe and must be shut down.  What is the City Council waiting for – a death?  Will that even make them stand up and take real action? 

Since more and more people have become aware of our organization, which started the ban campaign in 2006, we have been hearing from people about carriage horse accidents.  In the last year there have been about 11 incidents in NYC that we let the press know about.  The drivers are not required to report accidents – such as spooked horses or being clipped by a car – and the ASPCA ‘s Humane Law Enforcement division is not subject to the Freedom of Information Law.  They have knowledge of many more accidents but refuse to make the information public.  

The only bill worthy of support to shut down this anachronistic business and save the horses is the one in Albany sponsored by Senator Tony Avella and Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal. – S5013/A7748.  It will be reintroduced in January and will address concerns about Home Rule.  

In the meantime, please sign our petition on Change.org in support of this bill.  E-mails will automatically be sent to state legislators.   

  

And please disabuse yourself of the idea that Intro 86A, the bill necessary to pass to create the electric cars, will help the carriage horses.  There is a great possibility it will hurt the horses in the long run. 

Let’s shut down the carriage business first.   

Save the horses – and if “they” still want to go through with the electric cars – I say “knock yourself out.” 

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The Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages started the "ban campaign" in 2006.  We are all grass roots activists with no paid employees.  Our sole concern is to shut down the carriage trade and save the horses.  Visit us at www.banhdc.org; e-mail us for our newsletter at coalition@banhdc.org and join our Facebook page by clicking here.  

CARRIAGE HORSE DRIVERS USE HANDHELD CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING CARRIAGES

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is planning to introduce legislation to “penalize drivers who text, post on Twitter or otherwise distract themselves with handheld electronics while at the wheel” according to the the NY Times article Cuomo Seeks Tougher Laws for Texting While Driving, ***dated June 10, 2011.

According to the NY Times "The governor said he would propose upgrading so-called distracted driving from a secondary offense to a primary one, meaning that police officers could pull over drivers solely because they are spotted pecking away at their phones. "

This chart shows how other states deal with this issue. Most are actually stricter than NYS.

So what about NYC carriage drivers? They work on the streets in heavy traffic -- including Central Park South, Ninth Avenue, Times Square. They are guilty of not only using handheld cell phones while driving their carriages, but also reading newspapers and magazines and turning around to take pictures -- all while driving. A new law that was passed last year requires all new carriage drivers to have a NYS drivers’ license but it allowed those who do not have a license to be grand fathered in.

So there are still carriage drivers on the street who do not have a NYS drivers’ license. Last February, the Department of Health actually proposed new regulations that would prevent drivers from using cell phones and engaging in other distractions while driving. But oddly enough, they rescinded them.

Why?

Apparently the carriage drivers are above the law because they continue to engage in these kinds of infractions where, if they had an automobile, they would be fined. They also make U-turns on Central Park South in the middle of heavy traffic and the authorities look the other way.

It must be nice to have friends at City Hall.

So what is the problem here? Why are they still allowed to not pay attention while driving -- to engage in unsafe practices and get away with it?

They put everyone in danger - themselves, other cars, pedestrians - and of course, the horses.

*** -- if the NY Times link does not appear it is the fault of Google. If you want to read the article, please do a search. Sorry.

MIRACLE ON THE HACK LINE or What I did on my Summer Vacation ... or NYC carriage horses to be treated slightly better.

3/14/10 - New York City carriage horses won a great victory today when it was decided that they would each receive one square inch more in their stalls. Hardly believing the good news, the excited horses neighed and whinnied -- some letting lose a barrage of poop, which unfortunately missed the diaper tied to their rear, landing on a park road right in front of a runner who quickly stepped out of the way. The cyclist behind him was not so lucky. They would have peed, but there had been no water for them in the troughs, which had been turned off.

However the big drafts grumbled at the injustice complaining they will still not be able to stretch out fully, cramping their legs. "Damn" said one, "This is an injustice. Who can I complain to? WTF - Do they think we are ponies or something? I'm tired of standing up to take a damn snooze." Some thought about reaching out to the Teamsters to see if they would take their case and initiate some collective bargaining.

Bruno, a horse from the WS Livery, asked Roger if he was happy about the bigger stalls planned for his stable. “Common, Bruno, don’t be naive." whinnied Roger. You know that most of the stalls were small boxes anyways. This is not a hardship for the owners. They will never give us what we really need to be comfortable."

“Wow, small box stalls ... sweet ” countered Bruno. “Oy Vey! You should see the sh-t hole we live in – if you can call it living. Oh wait, you can, by clicking here. You have access to Youtube, don’t you Rog? Yeah - I suppose they can move walls around to make bigger stalls but the place will always be a hell hole. You should see the fire protection system we have -- sand buckets! I hear they took out the requirement for mandated sprinklers from the bill. That really sucks."

But not to worry, the bill thought of almost everything. As a reward for slaving 9 hours a day, 7 days a week, the horses will be rewarded with a 5-week vacation - weeks not to be taken concurrently. It was thought that the horses might get too used to relaxing and refuse to come back if one week extended into two or more. Most of the horses are so worn out by the time they take a "vacation" that they are in a catatonic state for the first 3-4 days, only beginning to enjoy themselves by the time they are ready to be brought back to their cells to begin the grind all over again.

The horses asked for daily turnout, but the City refused saying that they would prefer to build another stable rather than to give the land up to pasture. "Suck it up" said Speaker Chess Quibly and "stop complaining. " Just remember that I can still make you disappear since I did not change that section of law. Remember I know where Canada and Mexico are," she sneered. "And don't even think about the Teamsters -- or I will get you my pretties. Besides, they have their hands full pretending this trade is really a union. Don't confuse the issue. Besides, how could you even pay? in hay? I don't think so. LOL"

But not to be outdone since he was, after all, the bill’s sponsor, Council Member Gene Roe spat out - "Turn out, turn out?!! You don't need no stinkin' turnout! You still don't get it, do you. It's not about you, you selfish steed. It was never about you. It's about your [slave] driver - he needs more money ... if for nothing else then to line my pockets. Keep this up and I will report your kind to the City Clerk for illegal lobbying."

Some of the horses gave in and were planning on which set of swim trunks to bring on vacation and hoping there would be a big enough swimming pool. "Gee, i hope these horizontal stripes on my trunks don't make me look fat" said a plump Percheron --" I haven't worn them in a year." Others began to brush up on their tennis. "don't forget to bring sun screen" said a dapple gray - "there may not be any shade. And you know how we have to work in NYC when it is reeeeeally hot and humid. I hope they give us spending money for water.”

Many of the horses were very disappointed when they learned that the Department of Health decided not to pursue changes to existing regulations, introduced in January. Pressure from Quibly, they heard, who wanted all the glory. They were particularly upset with the elimination of the section entitled "Drivers Behaving Badly" -- a section that they had anonymously submitted to the Department of Health Commissioner. "It is embarrassing to have your driver reading a comic book, playing video games or talking to his bookie on the phone when we are trying to work" said one of the horses. "They never pay attention. And when they push me into making a u-turn on Central Park South, I just hope that the jerk driving me gets a ticket before he gets me into an accident. The next time this creep stands up in the driving seat while working, pretending to be king of the road, I will jerk him so he falls back on his ass. Hee Hee. He'll think it was a bump in the road. "

The horses also tried to get a weight limit on the customers being pulled in their carriage, but it was considered discrimination. "Take it up with Jimmy Hoffa," snorted one of the drivers. "If you can find him."

Still, it is better than nothing, all the horses agreed - even if it was just to raise the rates for the drivers. "I hope we at least get fresh carrots out of this," said one ..."and maybe some oats without pigeon droppings would be nice. I'm tired of getting limp carrots only when a potential mark comes by. I also wish they would do something about turning on the water troughs in Central Park in the winter."

"Too expensive to add year round piping" said CM Gene Roe. "As I said, any extra money comes my way,MY WAY, dummy. Besides, you do not need water" he said - "you pee too much as it is. Keep this up and I will personally buy you a ticket to Canada."

Roger, a handsome steed, told his stable mates- "keep the faith, my horsey friends. We have never had so much attention showered on us.

There has never been a time in the history of this business that so many people have been fighting to free us from bondage. This is just a temporary setback. I feel it in my withers.

It is only a matter of time, my equine buddies, only a matter of time.

In the meantime, have an apple. They're Fujis."

##

Roger suggests trotting over to http://banhdc.org/ for more information.

CARRIAGE DRIVERS: "BUT WE LOVE OUR HORSES...."

Sure they do. To many of the drivers, the horses are just dumb animals who do their bidding. They don't interact with them except to give them commands.

These horses are dispirited because they've been broken. There is no love and there is no respect.

If they truly loved their horses, they would not subject them to the wear and tear of working in a congested city, breathing in car exhaust and living in the multi-storied stables in stalls that are too small.

This is an excerpt from a blog called Mama Act where the writer is describing her recent walk along Central Park South where the carriage drivers wait for customers.

"I'm walking by and they're all hanging out, some in grungy top hats. Some in baseball caps. Chatting and waiting. When all of a sudden one of the horses kicks over his feed pail, spilling a decent amount, but certainly not the whole bucket, on the street. And the driver grabs the bucket and yells, "F--- you, you f---ing idiot!" He yells this at the HORSE. And something in the way he yelled it was kind of dark. More like a wife-beater than a business partner. Reflexive and violent. And it just kinda made me wonder..."

This is nothing new. I've had similar experiences. Once I witnessed a driver scream angrily at his horse because she was hitting one hoof against the pavement in boredom. He grabbed her bridle and yanked her head, obviously causing her great discomfort. He used the same type of expletives but with specific nasty words one would use toward a disrespected female. Yes this is one classy group.

I've also see drivers punch their horses in the nose, which is a very sensitive part of their body.

A few years back, I was sitting on a bench in Central Park near one of the filthy water troughs, which are empty half of the year. A carriage came by and the driver stopped to let his horse drink. It was a very hot day. After a few gulps, he pulled her head back, away from the water and turned to his passengers saying "I'll show her who's boss." Yeah - big macho man.

Yes, this is the group of people who "love their horses" -- the group that certain members of the City Council want to keep in business shaming the city.

CHAOS IN BROOKLYN AS WEDDING HORSES SPOOK

Double Trouble? or unwitting victims of horse slavery? (hint - it's the latter.)

So once again, we learn that two horses spooked while waiting to deliver a bride and groom to their "fantasy" wedding. Romantic? hardly. What was it this time -- a basket ball, a loud noise; rustling leaves? These 1,500 pound horses nearly caused a very serious accident after they tore down the street in panic, jumping on to a car. That car belonged to a family of several adults and one baby who narrowly managed to get out of the way. It is not known how badly injured the driver or horses are -- although the newspapers seemed to play this down.

City Council: are you paying attention? Or are you too interested in plotting how to extend term limits or abolish them altogether so you can keep your jobs?

Just the other day, an elderly man was knocked to the ground by a spooked police horse in San Francisco at Candlestick Park. The horse panicked when a plastic bag blew in his face and got caught on his bridle. He tore around the parking lot, knocking several people down. The 49ers fan died several hours later.

City Council: Pass Intro 658 - the bill to ban horse-drawn carriages. It is past time to do the right thing. It's only a matter of time before a person dies in NYC. Then who's going to say "I told you so!"