With our anti-carriage ad banned by the MTA, Last Chance for Animals had to get creative. LCA's current billboard — placed between New York City council members’ offices and City Hall, urging officials to outlaw horse-drawn carriages — is set to come down at the end of the month, and the MTA will not allow LCA to change the copy or extend the ad.
But LCA does not give up that easily. Working with NYClass, we printed out a full-size version of the censored ad for volunteers hold up at City Hall. LCA and our fellow activists are determined to drive home the point that carriages are a danger to horses and humans alike. As the ad states, a dozen horses have lost their lives in ugly traffic incidents. With the public also at risk, it makes no sense to allow this dated and dangerous industry to continue in New York City.
We hope this banner will serve as motivation for city officials to vote in favor of the horse carriage ban proposed by Mayor De Blasio. This is an industry where easily-startled animals are constantly exposed to thundering noises from trucks, cars and other vehicles while forced to navigate congested city traffic. The horses work day and night, regardless of weather conditions.
The vote to ban cruel and unsafe horse-drawn carriages approaches, and LCA and NYClass are working hard to get the votes needed to pass the crucial legislation. If that means we have to hold up the banners ourselves, then volunteers are more than willing to do so.
To help end carriage cruelty, please visit BanHorseCarriages.NYC and sign the petition. With the vote just around the corner, every voice counts. A carriage ban is the only sensible solution, and we will continue to work until carriages are outlawed in New York City.