Central Park Confrontation Goes Viral, as White Woman Calls Cops on Black Man Over Dog Leash

SummerMadness · May 26, 2020

Central Park Confrontation Goes Viral, as White Woman Calls Cops on Black Man Over Dog Leash

A white woman called the NYPD and accused a black man of threatening her and her dog after an exchange that started when the man asked the woman to leash her dog in Central Park.

Christian Cooper captured part of the exchange in a now-viral video that was posted to Twitter by his sister. The woman, later identified as Amy Cooper, is shown on video asking Cooper to stop recording her, or she was going to call the cops and tell them "there's an African American man threatening my life." She repeated the statement several times, each time sounding more distressed, while appearing to call 911 dispatch.

Tanj · May 26, 2020

So they're both named Cooper. Very odd.

SummerMadness · May 26, 2020

Tanj said:
So they're both named Cooper. Very odd.

They made a point to say they are not related in the newscast.

Kalevalatar · May 26, 2020

Mr. Cooper invaded this white privileged woman's White Space. Textbook example.

ArmenianJohn · May 26, 2020

These jerks in Central Park breaking the leash rule constantly is a huge problem. It is unfair to other park visitors on many levels. It's also a sign of a very irresponsible dog owner, not to mention a self-cetnered, anti-social nutjob. And no surprise that this woman turned out to be all those things, plus a racist.

She ended up apologizing profusely. That's perhaps a good thing. But in situations like this it's hard to accept apologies after the fact as being genuine - often it's not so much an apology as "I'm sorry because I got caught". If that man hadn't captured the video of the situation then what? Even with the video, this woman's initial response was "Well he was yelling and scaring me before he turned on his video!" I have a hard time believing her remorse is for her actions so much as because she got caught and is now in danger of losing her job.

grasping the after wind · May 26, 2020

They need to Cooper up. It'll teach her a lesson.

iluvatar5150 · May 26, 2020

Somewhere in NYC right now, there's a guy telling his buddies, "Yo, you remember that crazy girl I told you I met on Tinder?"

Aryeh Jay · May 26, 2020

Thank goodness this didn’t go the way of the Central Park Five.

cow451 · May 26, 2020

SummerMadness said:
They made a point to say they are not related in the newscast.

Right, just like Thomas Jefferson and "that woman".

cow451 · May 26, 2020

ArmenianJohn said:
These jerks in Central Park breaking the leash rule constantly is a huge problem. It is unfair to other park visitors on many levels. It's also a sign of a very irresponsible dog owner, not to mention a self-cetnered, anti-social nutjob. And no surprise that this woman turned out to be all those things, plus a racist.

She ended up apologizing profusely. That's perhaps a good thing. But in situations like this it's hard to accept apologies after the fact as being genuine - often it's not so much an apology as "I'm sorry because I got caught". If that man hadn't captured the video of the situation then what? Even with the video, this woman's initial response was "Well he was yelling and scaring me before he turned on his video!" I have a hard time believing her remorse is for her actions so much as because she got caught and is now in danger of losing her job.

Poor woman. Dying from ISS (Internet Shaming Syndrome) while merely trying to allow her rescued dog to roam freely as any mammal should.

SummerMadness · May 26, 2020

grasping the after wind said:
They need to Cooper up. It'll teach her a lesson.

I know a good teacher...

grasping the after wind · May 26, 2020

SummerMadness said:
I know a good teacher...

We've all been cooped up too long by this virus.

Desk trauma · May 26, 2020

ArmenianJohn said:
I have a hard time believing her remorse is for her actions so much as because she got caught and is now in danger of losing her job.

Which she just did.

SummerMadness · May 28, 2021

Fired After Calling 911 on a Black Bird-Watcher, Amy Cooper Sues for Discrimination

Amy Cooper, a white New York woman who called police on a Black bird-watcher in Central Park last Memorial Day, is suing the company that swiftly fired her over the controversial incident.

"We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton," the investment firm said the day after the incident. It said it had completed an internal review and decided to terminate her, effective immediately.

Amy Cooper filed a federal lawsuit this week against Franklin Templeton, saying the company never investigated the incident that led to her firing — the confrontation between her and Christian Cooper. Her lawsuit claims that her employer discriminated against her because of her race and gender.

Desk trauma · May 28, 2021

Now we wait and see if Karens are a protected class.

Nithavela · May 28, 2021

This firing was not about any social conscience on Franklin Templeton parts, but a pure divestment of bad publicity.

I also don't think people should get fired from a job for things they do outside of the job, unless they are breaking actual laws.

essentialsaltes · Oct 13, 2022

Desk trauma said:
Now we wait and see if Karens are a protected class.

Nope.

‘Central Park Karen’ Amy Cooper loses lawsuit against former employer

essentialsaltes · Jun 13, 2024

Black birdwatcher wins Emmy four years after viral “Central Park Karen” encounter

On Saturday (June 8), he became a Daytime Emmy Award winner in the Outstanding Daytime Personality category for his National Geographic show, “Extraordinary Birder,” all by following his passion. In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged that the accomplishment had been an unexpected journey, noting his queer upbringing in the 1970s and him being one of the few Black birdwatchers for years.

Central Park Confrontation Goes Viral, as White Woman Calls Cops on Black Man Over Dog Leash

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Black birdwatcher wins Emmy four years after viral “Central Park Karen” encounter​

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Black birdwatcher wins Emmy four years after viral “Central Park Karen” encounter