Liam Neeson is continuing his crusade to keep horse carriages on the streets of New York City, despite Mayor Bill de Blasio’s attempt to outlaw them. Neeson led a dozen City Council members on a tour of the stables where the horses are cared for and slammed de Blasio for not showing up.
“He should have manned up and come,” the Non-Stop star told the New York Daily News. “I'm disappointed he's not here.
Neeson had invited all 51 City Councilmembers to the Clinton Park Stables to show them that the horses are treated humanely.
“It's a connection with our past, it's a connection with our history,” Neeson said. “And it has to be said — the great white elephant in the room, four prime locations on the West Side of New York that realtors must be salivating to get their hands on.”
NBC New York reports that Neeson also pointed out how much money the carriages bring in from tourists. Neeson, who says he personally knows some drivers, said, “We can’t put a dollar amount on what that does for the tourist industry.”
De Blasio has said that he will eventually visit the stables himself and will do so when the “schedule allows.” He has proposed replacing horses with antique-style electric cars. That’s a move that “failed abysmally” in San Francisco, according to Neeson.
Neeson really brought his goal to keep horse-drawn carriages on the streets to national headlines during his appearance on The Daily Show. Although he was supposed to promote Non-Stop, the Irish actor deviated from the script and used the show as a platform to express his views.
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