The two sides of the Carriage Horse Wars—the side that wants to ban them, and the side that wants to keep the horses pulling tourists around town—coverged on City Hall on Wednesday, ahead of a City Council hearing that might determine the horses' fate in New York City.
Those lobbying in favor of a ban on horse-drawn carriages in Central Park, particularly the non-profit New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) say the animals don't belong in Gotham. They argue that its crowded streets and smoggy air present a hazard to the animals, that many carriage drivers mistreat their horses and house them in inhumane conditions, and that the practice of pulling tourists around Central Park is a relic of the past.
Those opposing the ban, many of whom are carriage drivers themselves and the powerful union that represents them, contend that drivers are workers who need protection, who love their horses and treat them well, and that there's an ulterior motive behind the push for a carriage horse ban: a plot by developers to buy the Hell's Kitchen property the carriage horse stables currently occupy.
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