Thursday, September 20, 2007

WAR Takes Carriage Horse Issue to Mayor Bloomberg

After participating in the well attended but poorly organized Coalition to Ban Carriage Horses candlelight vigil at New York City’s Central Park, activists took a short walk to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s residence at E. 79th Street off Fifth Avenue. Participation was lower than expected because of a last minute phone campaign driven by hysterical activists, leading even those activists who thought visiting the Mayor was a good idea to back out at the last minute. Also, activists that attempted to distribute flyers promoting the extension of the candlelight vigil to Bloomberg’s home were prevented from doing so, by so called “friends of animals”.

WAR wishes to take this opportunity to state that we are not interested in making friends and being popular among “activists” or should I say “slacktivists” who come out a handful of times a year to what looks like it will be a big media event. WAR activists are working on the streets of New York City every day and hold demonstrations on a weekly basis. Purely and simply, we go wherever we believe we can help the animals. They are our constituents and we couldn’t care less if people like us or not.

WAR also wishes to state, for the record, that our activism is not driven by a need for media attention nor do we believe in taking credit for the work of other activist groups. Our protests are not tailored to news media requirements and our only goal is to have the maximum impact for the animals. When we are told that continuing a peaceful candlelight vigil at the home of the Mayor is harmful to the campaign to protect the carriage horses, we have to question the motives of those making such bizarre statements.

Before departing for 79th Street, WAR activists were assailed verbally, literally screamed at hysterically, and alternately begged to cancel the demo at the Mayor’s home. When we arrived at 79th and 5th, we were met by a surreal scene. No less than 30 (probably closer to 40 when you count in the plainclothes officers that followed us up Madison Avenue, talking into their secret hidden microphones) of New York’s finest had closed down 79th Street between 5th Avenue and Madison to all traffic including pedestrian traffic.

When we asked an Inspector why this was done, we were told that there was a “terrorist threat”. All six of us were escorted to a barricaded pen that was a full block away from the Mayor’s residence, denying us our legal right to be within sight and sound of the Mayor’s home. We didn’t complain as this location put us on heavily trafficked 5th Avenue and we were able to talk to many sympathetic New Yorkers about the plight of New York’s carriage horses.

Our “Twilight Zone” night was capped off when two women with the Coalition traveled up to 79th Street to once again scream at us and beg us not to follow through with our peaceful legal demonstration. An almost out of control and near hysterical woman screamed that we would all be arrested and that our action was going to destroy the “work” of the Coalition. They then proceeded to station themselves across the street and glare at us for almost the entire length of the demonstration. So sad to see all of that energy directed at stopping peaceful protest when they could have made our 6 person demonstration an eight person demonstration. They could have used their energy to advocate for the horses rather than to disrupt the activity of fellow activists. The coup d’grace was when we were accused by “fellow activists” of being SHAC terrorists. We shook our heads and rolled our eyes and wondered if someone had missed their medication?

Once behind the barricade we proceeded to have a quiet but effective demonstration. We talked to many people and urged them to take a moment to call 3-1-1 to file a request with the Mayor’s hotline to ban carriage horses from New York City. Some took the opportunity to make the phone call right then and there. Activists enjoyed overwhelming support of the people they spoke to.

One family was particularly interested and when the recently revealed Auditor’s Report was mentioned, the gentleman indicated that he worked in that office and that we had his total support. He promised to circulate our request to other City Hall workers and gave us some inside information about how most city workers felt about the Carriage Horse issue.

Several people asked how they could become more active in advocating for the carriage horses and one woman offered her nearby apartment as a base of operations for future demonstrations and tabling events. Several passersby made the suggestion that demonstrations close to the Mayor’s home should be done on a regular and on-going basis until a ban is passed into law. WAR is seriously considering that possibility.