Although recent years have seen what is sadly no shortage of fatal encounters that unarmed black Americans have had with both the police and with other private citizens, the tragic reality is that this issue hasn’t abated in 2020.
In addition to the case in Georgia that led to the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, this year has also seen 26-year-old Breonna Taylor fatally shot in her home by police searching for a suspect who was already in custody. Furthermore, this very week saw Minneapolis officers kneel on the neck of 46-year-old George Floyd, which claimed his life as well.
Situations like these highlight the potential risks that come when certain individuals call the police on African-Americans for frivolous reasons, but a recent Central Park confrontation captured in the full video casts doubt that we’re any closer to seeing the end of this trend either.
On May 25, Christian Cooper visited a section of New York City’s Central Park called the Ramble to do some bird-watching.
As Time reported , this area is known for featuring 230 species of birds.
The Ramble also has rules against taking dogs off their leashes and when Cooper saw a woman who was later identified as Amy Cooper (no relation) with an unleashed dog, he asked her to leash it.
When she refused, Mr. Cooper wrote in a Facebook post that he pulled out dog treats as a means of attracting the dog to him, thus forcing Ms. Cooper to leash it.
It was at this point that Mr. Cooper began recording the woman with his iPhone.
This prompted her to walk towards him while gripping her dog’s collar and ask him to stop filming her. He then asked her not to come close to him.
Ms. Cooper then stated her intention to take his picture and call the police.
Ms. Cooper then said, “I’m going to tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life.”
Mr. Cooper told her she can tell them whatever she likes and she proceeded to dial while continuing to grip the dog’s collar, pulling it up to her.
As the dog struggled against her grip, Ms. Cooper retained her hold and told the dispatcher Mr. Cooper was recording her as well as threatening her and her dog.
Although both parties stayed where they were, the tone of her voice sounded more agitated as she repeated “There is an African-American man recording me and threatening myself and my dog.”
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Her dog then yelped as it continued to struggle against her grip before Ms. Cooper allowed it to lay on the ground.
She then repeated her claim that Mr. Cooper was threatening her and asked the dispatcher to send the cops immediately.
At this point, she clipped the leash to her dog, to which Mr. Cooper said “thank you” and ended the recording.
Police told Time that they received the call at 8 am and responded, saying, “Upon arrival, police determined two individuals had engaged in a verbal dispute. There were no arrests or summonses issued; both parties went on their way.”
Although the situation was resolved peacefully, outrage throughout social media erupted in response to Ms. Cooper’s claims.
In an interview with NBC New York later that day, Ms. Cooper apologized, saying , “I sincerely and humbly apologize to everyone, especially to that man, his family. 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.”
“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.”
The full video of the incident can be seen here.
But a social media backlash wasn’t the only consequence Ms. Cooper faced following the incident.
As CBS News reported , investment management company Franklin Templeton fired her the following day and announced this decision in the tweet shown here.
CBS also reported that the animal rescue she received the dog from posted a message on Facebook announcing she had voluntarily surrendered the dog back to their staff. It is apparently safe and in good health.
In an interview with Don Lemon of CNN, Mr. Cooper said that he believes her apology was sincere.
However, he added , “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.”
That said, he became aware that Ms. Cooper has been receiving death threats following the incident, which he condemned as “wholly inappropriate and abhorrent.”
As he continued, “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?”
h/t: Time
