Nicole Grievey testifies opposing ban, cites real estate motivations
Nicole Grievey, a NYC resident and former horse owner, testifies opposing the ban, arguing real estate interests are behind it, that equine experts have found horses well cared for, and that the industry gives unwanted horses a chance at life.
I will state my name for the record.
Are we good?
Hi, I'm Nicole Grievey.
Like Groovy, but with E's instead of O's.
I'm a New Yorker, I'm a horse lover, I'm a former horse owner, and I have watched the real estate interests try to kill the carriage industry for decades now.
At first they were honest about the reason, they want the land that the stables are on for development.
As that wasn't popular with average New Yorkers, they changed tactics, pouring a lot of money into pushing the idea that NYC carriage work is inhumane.
It's not true.
Equine experts who have inspected the horses and stables have said over and over that they are well cared for, protected by city regulations.
Carriage work is not cruel, and it is a lifeline for Amish farm horses and ex-racetrack trotters.
There are horses in those Westside stables now who might have spent their last hours in terror, bound for a slaughterhouse, if not for the carriage industry taking them.
As someone who has rescued a horse myself when its stable in Queens abruptly closed, I know from experience how hard and how hard it is to get a horse.
how expensive it is to provide a home for unwanted horses.
The carriage industry gives these unwanted horses a chance to live a long life.
This is the truth.
On top of that, it offers union jobs, it's work for immigrants, and it is a beautiful and irreplaceable part of the park.
If this were truly about noise and pollution and crowds and horses as prey animals who spook at everything,
if this were truly about that, the anti-carriage activists would also be protesting in front of the NYPD stables and bullying the mounted police, because those horses work much harder and in dirtier, much busier areas than the carriage horses do.
But they don't.
Because the truth is, both police horses and carriage horses can live and work and thrive in a city.
But only the carriage horses stand between the real estate people making more money than they even need now anyway.
But this bill was never about what's best for horses.
It's about rich people taking something that isn't theirs.
It's a message to the elite of the city they can take whatever they want, just spend enough money and spread enough propaganda.
Can you please summarize?
Thank you.
My summary is that I'm asking you to pass Intro 937 instead.
The real estate people have gotten a few decades now lying about the carriages.
Please give the drivers a little time to show the truth of what they do before you take away their livelihoods and the lives of the horses they love and care for.
I thank you so much for your time.
Thank you.
Next person, just identify yourself and then...
Give your testimony.