Amy Cooper Will Face Charges For Calling Police On Black Birdwatcher
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced on Monday (July 6) that Amy Cooper, the woman whose confrontation with a Black man in Central Park this past May went viral, will face charges for making a false report to police.
The episode occurred on Memorial Day. Cooper, who had been walking her dog off his leash in Central Park, encountered Christian Cooper (no relation,) an avid bird watcher, in the Ramble, a semi-wild part of the park where dogs must be leashed.
Mr. Cooper asked Ms. Cooper, who is not related to him, to leash her dog. When she refused, he began filming the encounter, which turned ugly when Ms. Cooper called the police and told them that “an African-American man is threatening my life”
The video went viral, sparking outrage and prompting conversations about the ways in which police are weaponized against Black people. The incident, ironically, took place on the same day George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis by police officers.
Since then, Ms. Cooper has been fired from her job, according to the New York Post, and had her cocker spaniel taken back by the shelter from where she adopted him. The dog has since been returned.
“Today our Office initiated a prosecution of Amy Cooper for falsely reporting an incident in the third degree,” the Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. said in a statement. “Our office will provide the public with additional information as the case proceeds. 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.”
