CENTRAL PARK, Manhattan (PIX11) – A protest will be held on Wednesday to demand that the City Council vote on Ryder’s Law, which would ban horse-drawn carriages on New York City streets.
NYCLASS, the nonprofit organizing the rally, said that the council hasn’t revealed plans to hold a public hearing on the legislation. Ryder’s Law would phase out carriages by next year, retire the horses, and offer new job training for carriage operators.
The proposal is named after Ryder, a carriage horse that collapsed and died in Hell’s Kitchen three years ago.
NYCLASS President Steve Nislick alleged Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is deliberately not holding a public hearing but is instead meeting on the measure with the council’s health committee. The nonprofit argued that it silences the public’s voice in the matter.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office has taken to social media to press the council to pass Ryder’s Law after signing an executive order aimed at sunsetting the horse carriage industry.
“Last week, @nycmayor called on the City Council to work with us to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park once and for all,” his office wrote on X.
The Transport Workers Union announced a lawsuit against NYCLASS, alleging the animal rights group is falsely representing horse carriage drivers as animal abusers. It’s seeking $1 million in damages.
“In our view, there’s a conspiracy in play that has nothing to do with animal rights at all – nothing to do with animal rights. It has to do with monetizing the end of the carriage industry,” said John Samuelsen, the international president of the Transport Workers Union.
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The Ryder’s Law protest on Wednesday is set for 12:45 p.m. outside City Hall. PIX11 News reached out to Mayor Adams’ office for comment.
A second rally will be held on Friday.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
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