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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested Thursday that the white woman the Internet has nicknamed “Central Park Karen,” who called police to report she was being threatened by “an African-American man,” should be investigated for a false claim.
“I think there’s a very valid question about calling the police for any false claim of a crime,” the mayor said during his daily press briefing. “I don’t know the law but that’s the direction I would look at. Did she commit an offense by falsely accusing someone? That to me is the thing we need to better ascertain.”
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The verbal dispute between Amy Cooper, who has been fired by investment firm Franklin Templeton, and a black man bird watching in Central Park might normally have gone unnoticed in a city preoccupied by the coronavirus pandemic.
That changed when birdwatcher Christian Cooper pulled out his phone and captured Amy Cooper calling police to report she was being threatened by “an African-American man.” The widely watched video — posted on Facebook by Christian Cooper and on Twitter by his sister — has sparked accusations of racism.
A group called Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue said it had custody of her dog for the time being. The pet could be heard coughing in the video after she clenched it by the collar with its front legs off the ground.
Earlier this week, de Blasio said the video exemplified hatred that has “no place in our city.”
“The video out of Central Park is racism, plain and simple,” de Blasio tweeted. “She called the police BECAUSE he was a black man. Even though she was the one breaking the rules. She decided he was the criminal and we know why.”
Amy Cooper released an apology through a public relations service Tuesday night, saying she “reacted emotionally and made false assumptions about his intentions.”
“He had every right to request that I leash my dog in an area where it was required,” she said in the written statement. “I am well aware of the pain that misassumptions and insensitive statements about race cause and would never have imagined that I would be involved in the type of incident that occurred with Chris.”
The New York City Commission on Human Rights is currently investigating her.
“At a time when the devastating impacts of racism in black communities have been made so painfully clear — from racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes, to harassment of essential workers on the front lines — it is appalling to see these types of ugly threats directed at one New Yorker by another,” said Sapna Raj, deputy commissioner of the Law Enforcement Bureau at the Commission on Human Rights.
“Efforts to intimidate black people by threatening to call law enforcement draw on a long, violent and painful history, and they are unacceptable. We encourage Ms. Cooper to cooperate with the commission and meaningfully engage in a process to address the harm that she has caused,” Raj added in a statement.
The Commission on Human Rights has asked Amy Cooper for her full cooperation.
“The commission has the authority to fine violators of the law and can award compensatory damages to victims, including emotional distress damages and other benefits,” according to its statement. “The commission can also order trainings on the NYC Human Rights Law, changes to policies, and develop restorative justice relief such as community service and mediated apologies, in lieu of or in addition to fines and monetary relief.”
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The confrontation began early Monday morning when Christian Cooper said he noticed Amy Cooper had let her cocker spaniel off its leash against the rules in the Ramble, a secluded section of Central Park popular with birdwatchers.
In a Facebook post, he claimed the dog was “tearing through the plantings” and told her she should go to another part of the park. When she refused, he pulled out dog treats, causing her to scream at him to not come near her dog.
Amy Cooper also warned him she would summon police unless he stopped recording.
“I’m going to tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life,” Amy Cooper is heard saying in the video as she pulls down her face mask and struggles to control her dog.
“Please call the cops,” Christian Cooper says.
“There’s an African-American man, I’m in Central Park, he is recording me and threatening myself and my dog. … Please send the cops immediately!” she says during the call before he stops recording.
Police say by the time they responded, they were both gone.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
