Horse carriage opponents use star power to push bill
Russell Simmons, Angelica Huston, Edie Falco appear in ads
Animal rights advocates have enlisted the help of celebrities in their efforts to get the City Council to pass a ban on the horse carriage industry.
Ads featuring such stars as hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, actresses Anjelica Huston and Edie Falco and fashion guru Tim Gunn started popping up in bus shelters all over the city, including several locations in Brooklyn, on Dec. 15.
The ads, co-sponsored by the groups People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets (NYCLASS), are aimed specifically at council members who are undecided on how to vote on a bill that would ban the horse carriage industry from operating on city streets.
The legislation was introduced on Dec. 8 by Councilmembers Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Washington Heights). The bill needs the votes of at least 26 of the council’s 51 members in order to pass.