A New York woman is facing charges after a viral video her calling police to say she felt threatened by a Black man who asked her politely to leash her dog in Central Park in May.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office issued a desk appearance ticket for Amy Cooper, 41, for falsely reporting an incident in the third degree after she was filmed making a false report on Christian Cooper (no relation), who was bird watching in the park when he asked Amy to leash her dog. She is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 14, 2020.
“Today our Office 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,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. “At this time I would like to encourage anyone who has been the target of false reporting to contact our Office. We are strongly committed to holding perpetrators of this conduct accountable.”
Amy Cooper attained an explosion of media attention after Christian Cooper’s sister Melody posted a video online that Christian filmed of the incident. In the viral video, Amy tells police that “I’m in the Ramble and an African American man with a bicycle helmet, he is recording me and threatening my dog.”
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. pic.twitter.com/3YnzuATsDm
— Melody Cooper (@melodyMcooper) May 25, 2020
Following international backlash, Amy Cooper was fired from her position at Franklin Templeton and she surrendered her dog back to Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue Inc. Amy then later issued an apology to Christian Cooper.
While Christian Cooper accepted Amy’s apology, he said on “The View” that this incident is rooted in deeper racism problems in the United States.
