Cooper, a white woman who called the police on a Black man in Central Park, now faces criminal charges for the fake threat.
What We Know:
- Cooper approached a Black man, Christian Cooper, in Central Park on May 25 without having her dog on a leash. Not having your dog on a leash is illegal. Therefore Cooper filmed the incident, which has now been viewed over 100 million times. She demanded he stop filming her, and when he didn’t, she called the police and said, “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.”
- The Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance addressed the announcement of charges on Monday. He says his office has “initiated a prosecution of Amy Cooper for Falsely Reporting an Incident in the Third Degree. Our office will provide the public with additional information as the case proceeds.” He encourages anyone who is the target of false reporting to contact his office.
- New York Mayor Bill de Blasio posted a Tweet indicating how her racist comments could have “dire consequences for a Black man.”
- Governor Andrew Cuomo had been pushing for the “Amy Cooper Bill” to be passed that would make it a hate crime when 911 callers make a false accusation based on race, gender, or religion.
Good.
Her racist behavior could have had dire consequences for a Black man.
Glad she’ll face consequences of her own. https://t.co/l7yNVOX2uM— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) July 6, 2020
- According to Cooper’s attorney Robert Barnes, she won’t be charged for a misdemeanor in this case. He says, “She lost her job, her home, and her public life. Now some demand her freedom? How many lives are we going to destroy over misunderstood 60-second videos on social media?”
Following the incident, Copper was fired from her job with Franklin Templeton, an investment company and has issued an apology stating that she is not racist. Christian Cooper has not made a statement on her charges as of Monday.
