Photos of the Day: Liam Neeson’s Home Swarmed by Animal Advocates
For horse foe Liam Neeson, home is where the protest is. Nearly 70 animal advocates from PETA and horse-protection group New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) descended on the actor’s home in Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Saturday.
Neeson has been publicly criticizing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to retire the abused horses who are forced to pull carriages through the city’s congested streets, dodging traffic and inhaling exhaust fumes.
So animal advocates, armed with posters of New York City carriage accidents that have left horses dead and people in the hospital, brought the cruelty of the carriage industry to Neeson’s front door. Reporters from more than 100 media outlets captured the scene.
Neeson shares the building with several other celebrity residents, including Regis Philbin and animal advocate Howard Stern. While Neeson didn’t make an appearance, many of his neighbors did and were quite receptive to the protesters.
Perhaps that’s because Neeson is the only celebrity who is fighting to keep horses on New York City streets. Plenty of stars have spoken out against the cruel spectacle, including Adrien Brody, Peter Dinklage, Lea Michele, Wendy Williams, Kathy Najimy, Dave Navarro, Alicia Silverstone, Jillian Michaels, Pamela Anderson, Alec Baldwin, P!nk, Cornelia Guest, Miley Cyrus, Martina Navratilova, Chrissie Hynde, Jon Stewart, and Kristen Johnston.
Mayor de Blasio’s plan would result in a win-win situation. It will replace horse-drawn carriages with safer, eco-friendly classic cars. All the horses will be adopted, and the carriage drivers will shift to a vehicle that operates in all weather extremes and accommodates more paying passengers.
Show your support for Mayor de Blasio and his commitment to horses by tweeting a message to @BilldeBlasio using the hashtag #TYDeBlasio.
