Many times, when a person is victimized due to racial or ethnic discrimination, they call for the other person or persons involved to be dragged through the mud. Christian Cooper, the black birdwatcher who was threatened by a white woman named Amy "Central Park Karen" Cooper (no relation) has come forward to say that while her actions were steeping in racism, he doesn't believe that she should be receiving death threats. The public was outraged after a video surfaced showing an irate Amy telling Christian that she would be calling the police on him after he asked her to leash her dog. She went on to say that she would alert the authorities that she was being threatened by a black man, and while she was on the phone with dispatch officers, she changed her voice to make it sound as if she was under duress.
Amy Cooper has since been fired from her job at the investment management company Franklin Templeton, and recently, Christian Cooper sat down with CNN to discuss the incident. "I think her apology is sincere," Christian said. "I'm not sure that in that apology she recognizes that while she may not be or consider herself a racist, that particular act was definitely racist...And the fact that that was her recourse at that moment -- granted, it was a stressful situation, a sudden situation -- you know, maybe a moment of spectacularly poor judgment. But she went there and had this racist act that she did."
Still, Christian Cooper doesn't believe that his "Central Park Karen" moment calls for people to issue death threats toward Amy Cooper. "I am told there has been death threats and that is wholly inappropriate and abhorrent and should stop immediately," he said. "I find it strange that people who were upset that ... that she tried to bring death by cop down on my head, would then turn around and try to put death threats on her head. Where is the logic in that? Where does that make any kind of sense?"
"Central Park Karen" Amy Cooper Fired From Job, Issues Apology
"Central Park Karen," real name Amy Cooper, has not only been fired from her job at an investment management company, but she's issued a formal apology after a video of her went viral.
All Amy Cooper had to do was put her dog on a leash, but instead, she became a trending topic on Twitter. Known now as "Central Park Karen," Amy Cooper was walking her dog in the wooded area of Central Park called The Ramble. It's a place where people like Christian Cooper (no relation to Amy) likes to go to birdwatch. As a rule, in order to preserve the area and keep wildlife safe, dogs are required to be leashed in the Ramble area. When Christian saw Amy's pup unleashed, he asked her to comply with the rules. She refused, but he came prepared. He had dog treats with him to offer them to pups of people who didn't obey because no dog owner wants to see their pet running away from them toward a stranger.
Most people leash their dogs and go about their business, but Amy Cooper decided to not only argue with Christian, but to tell him that she planned on calling the police. She said she was going to tell officers that she was being threatened by an African-American man, even though Christian was the one demanding that Amy move away from him. As he records her from a distance, Amy speaks with dispatch and pretends to be in distress as she changes the tone in her voice as if she's about to be attacked. All the while, she was so concerned with framing Christian for a possible assault that she didn't notice that she was choking her dog. When she placed the whimpering dog on a leash, Christian left.
After the video quickly went viral, Amy Cooper's dog that she rescued back in 2018 was returned to the non-profit she adopted him from. Now it's being reported that Amy has been fired from her job at investment management company Franklin Templeton. She later issued an apology.
“I sincerely and humbly apologize to everyone, especially to that man, his family,” she told WNBC. “It was unacceptable and I humbly and fully apologize to everyone who’s seen that video, everyone that’s been offended … everyone who thinks of me in a lower light and I understand why they do.” She added, "When I think about the police, I’m such a blessed person. I’ve come to realize especially today that I think of [the police] as a protection agency, and unfortunately, this has caused me to realize that there are so many people in this country that don’t have that luxury."
White Woman Pretends To Be In Distress, Calls Police On Black Man In Viral Video
A white woman named Amy Cooper was asked by Christian Cooper (no relation) to leash her dog. She then became upset and called the police, telling them that she was being threatened by an African-American man in the park.
An unsettling video went viral on Monday (May 25) that showed an encounter between a white woman and a black man in New York City's Central Park. Melody Cooper uploaded the clip to her Twitter page, a video that was taken by her brother, Christian Cooper. According to Melody, Christian is an avid bird watcher so he likes to frequent parks. While at Central Park, he saw a woman who coincidentally carries the same last name, Amy Cooper, walking her dog. Christian told Amy that dogs need to be on a leash, per the signs in the area, and that's when Amy reportedly became unhinged.
Dia Dipasupil / Staff / Getty Images
"Oh, when Karens take a walk with their dogs off leash in the famous Bramble in NY’s Central Park, where it is clearly posted on signs that dogs MUST be leashed at all times, and someone like my brother (an avid birder) politely asks her to put her dog on the leash," Melody wrote in the caption to the video. In order to protect himself during the exchange, Christian begins filming. Amy tells him to stop, and when he doesn't and asks her to back away from him, she calls the police.
This is where things take a turn. Amy Cooper not only tells Christian that she's calling the New York Police Department, but she lets him know that she intends to tell them that she's being threatened by an African-American man—and she fulfills her promise. Christian records her on the phone as she began to act as if she's terrified and in distress, even changing the tone of her voice to make it sound as if she's moments away from being attacked.
According to TMZ, the NYPD did respond to the call of a "possible assault," but by the time officers arrived, both parties had already left the scene. Meanwhile, during the incident, Amy—who has been dubbed "Central Park Karen"—is so flustered that she pulls at her dog's collar so tightly that the pup was in distress. TMZ also reported that Amy adopted the dog back in 2018 from the Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue group and following the encounter, Amy surrendered the dog back to the organization. Watch the video below.
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