No More Horses in Hell Square; Equestrian Brigade Headed Back to the Stable
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No more horse shit. Seriously.
If you have the displeasure of walking through Hell Square during prime party hours, seek refuge in the forthcoming change of the guard. Or, rather, removal. Almost five years trampled underfoot, and with piles of manure to boot (or step in), the 7th Precinct is finally ending the practice of late-night horse patrols on the weekends. That’s the word on the street, anyway, even though they were out this past weekend.
Indeed, the precinct confirmed that the equestrian unit will wrap up duties sometime in the near future. No date provided as of publication.
Meanwhile, the timing of this decision appears rather curious. The news comes two months after Max Fish patron Pernilla Ekberg filed a lawsuit for losing half her finger when she tried to pet one of the horses. (The incident actually happened a year ago, but Ekberg began legal proceedings in August.) Coincidence?
The NYPD mounted units were first introduced in January 2011 as part of the crackdown on neighborhood nightlife, and have become a common sight. A plague, some might say. Opponents of the equestrian officers note that the intimidation is not heeded, with horses instead functioning more as petting zoos and manure manufacturers than anything else.
Perhaps this means there will be a call-up of cops for foot patrol between 12am and 4am.
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Walking past the horse shit on Orchard St., August 2013
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