Victoria Moran (author) testifies remotely supporting ban

Hello, I'm Victoria Moran, a New Yorker by choice and an author so grateful to be here.

And it breaks my heart that I'm not there in person.

It's doctor's orders.

As a young woman in Kansas City in the 1970s, I learned about the work of Gretchen Weiler and Pigeon Fitzgerald and this movement to get the carriage horses off the streets of

New York City, a place that seemed to me like the magical land of Oz.

I love the idea that even then these people were working to be sure that New York was this inspirational, aspirational, flagship American city.

So I watched through the 80s and the 90s and finally managed to move here to Oz in 2000 and joined the cause myself.

I supported candidates who said that they would see that this ended and they didn't.

And after the deaths of so many horses and now this precious young human being, it's time.

It's time.

I lost a 16-year-old stepson, and I can tell you, you don't want to know what that feels like.

This could have been prevented.

When I was in my 20s, I'm 76 now, and I'm still waiting.

What you do on this...

to bring Romacha's law to be, will not bring back lost lives, but you have in your hands the ability to prevent more carnage.

I see there's a class of cultures.

Sometimes there's an argument between loving animals and hating cruelty.

I think we need to bring ourselves to the point where we can do both and make the city indeed livable for all.

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

Next is...

Una Rose.

You may begin.