There’s quite a lot going on!
The animal rights organization NYCLASS has invested millions over the last ten years in efforts to prohibit horse-drawn carriages in New York City, according to financial records examined by the Post.
New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets reported a spending of $1,272,000 on its 2024 tax return for the year 2022, which included $744,547 for advertising and promotional activities alongside $261,000 for lobbying Congress, the documents reveal.
In 2021, the group spent $634,000 and had consistently allocated hundreds of thousands each year since 2015.
Recent news about the substantial expenditures by NYCLASS coincides with the release of a poll on Monday, claiming 78% of voters favor the Rider Act. This legislation aims to abolish horse-drawn carriages, substitute them with electric alternatives, relocate horses to rescue farms, and create job programs for current drivers.
The bill, which has the backing of Mayor Eric Adams, is named after a horse that tragically collapsed and died in 2022.
However, the proposal has encountered obstacles in the City Council, largely due to opposition from union-supported factions within the industry.
“They’re a bunch of hypocrites,” stated John Samuelsen, president of the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU), which is actively defending carriage drivers while pouring millions into sustaining the industry.
TWU has also conducted its own survey, indicating that frequent visitors to Central Park are in favor of horse-drawn carriages.
“They aren’t contributing anything tangible to benefit the horses. Not even a bale of hay or a carrot,” Samuelsen remarked.
He further accused NYCLASS of being fixated on dehumanizing carriage drivers by misrepresenting them as cruel animal abusers, allegedly to make room for more hotels and high-rises on Manhattan’s West Side, where stables are situated.
“This is really about money and greed, not the welfare of the horses,” he claimed.
In defense of its expenditures, NYCLASS stated that it also supports various animal protection initiatives aimed at banning the horse-drawn carriage business.
“NYCLASS saved abandoned horse carriages from being sent to slaughter by the same affluent owners that John Samuelsen falsely accuses. We’ve also enacted numerous laws that have helped thousands of animals,” emphasized Edita Bernkrant, NYCLASS’s executive director.
She referred to Samuelsen as a bully, contending that he attacks those trying to end horse mistreatment.
Moreover, she claimed he has spent a million in union dues on aggressive ads targeting officials to stifle dissent. “He isn’t advocating for the workers; he’s shielding wealthy carriage owners who profit from exploiting them and their horses,” Bernkrant argued.
“Horse-drawn carriages are an outdated business model that’s being phased out globally. Moreover, 78% of New Yorkers are in favor of the Rider legislation, a sentiment echoed by the majority of major mayoral candidates,” Bernkrant concluded.
