The gay Central Park birder who shared that video of a white woman calling 911 on him after he politely asked her to leash her dog says he won’t be cooperating in the Manhattan district attorney office’s case against her.
This week, the DA said it planned to prosecute Amy Cooper for falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, three years probation, or a $1000 fine.
But her victim, Christian Cooper, to whom she is not related, thinks her life has been sufficiently upended and he’s not interested in dragging things out any longer.
“On the one hand, she’s already paid a steep price,” Mr. Cooper told the New York Times this week. “That’s not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Not only has Ms. Cooper been publicly shamed by literally the entire world, but she lost her job and has become the subject of tabloid fodder, including having an old, unrelated story about an affair she had with a married Wall Street trader who cheated her out of $65,000 dug up by reporters.
Mr. Cooper added, however, that he sees the bigger picture and understands why the DA might want to make an example out of her. He’s just doesn’t want anything to do with it.
“So if the DA feels the need to pursue charges, he should pursue charges,” he said. “But he can do that without me.”
Meanwhile, Ms. Cooper’s attorney, Robert Barnes, says his client plans to fight the charge.
“This criminalized, cancel culture is cancerous and precarious,” Barnes said. “That is why acquitting Amy Cooper is important.”
In the past, Barnes has represented conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and those Covington Kids who got into an altercation with a group of Native Americans at the Lincoln Monument in January 2019.
Ms. Cooper’s court first date is scheduled for October 14.
Related: Racially profiled gay Central Park birdwatcher opens up about “Karen’s” downfall
Mack
Unless these types of people actually have to pay, I don’t think it’s going to stop.
wikidBSTN
“This criminalized, cancel culture is cancerous and precarious,” ????? Whahh????
What does this have to do with “cancel culture”? Was she charged with taking down a Confederate statue?
The attorney apparently has no clue of what he is doing and is just grasping for the political buzz words of the day. Of course he is going to charge his client mightily for it.
Brian
He knows exactly what he’s doing. She has no defense, so he has to put something else out there. And he’s probably doing it for free, since he knows it will pay for itself with publicity for him, many times over.
lambchopp59
Lawyer won’t be able to charge his client the fees without coming up with some bullshit “defense” she’s obviously stupid enough to fall for. She’ll get charged, fined, and owe this law shark to boot.
Surely unless he brings this up before a previously co-opted judge, that’s one loser defense.
Cam
She threatened him, and if he had been arrested she would have shown up to the trial and repeated the story over and over of how he was attacking her.
If there aren’t penalties people will continue to do this.
trsxyz
Agreed. If Christian Cooper had not had the video evidence, this situation might have ended-up very poorly for him.
dougie
Mr. Cooper is a much more decent person that I would be. I’d probably do everything I could to see that she grovelled a bit more.
CurtisIsTheOne
I side with Mr. Cooper who is showing something that OPs have a difficult time comprehending: compassion. So all you First Testament wrathful beings, just let it go. And remember to BREATHE.
bodie425
I side with CurtisIsTheOne. It’s refreshing to be the one granting grace and forgiveness. The DA has both 911 calls and he has the written testimony from the time of the arrest. Mr. Cooper wishes to move on and does not want reporters crashing his bird-watching gig.
Cam
Apparently she also tried to get the doorman at her building fired, but there was a witness who disputed her story.
This woman has needed this lesson for a while if that is also true.
ScottOnEarth
I respect his grace and compassion.
Inspector 57
Yeah, I’m impressed, too. I’m not sure she deserves it, and I’m not certain that his non-participation is a good thing for society. But I can understand that he would not want to become part of a protracted ugly legal battle, and would prefer to move on. Also, whether he wants to be a “poster boy” or not, he is showing himself to be a gay person and a Black person who is intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate, and not more interested in being pissed off than in doing the right thing. I might not have made the same decision, but I respect his.
frapachino
He’s a coward a misogynist and a race baiter!
jonasalden
I think you’re confused. They’re talking about the bird watcher who encountered the woman in Central Park whose dog was off the leash and when confronted about it, threatened to call the police and say a Black man was threatening her. I should let you know you’ve commented on the wrong post before people roast you. See what I did there? You’re welcome.
Cam
Oh look, the KKK member from the 1920s is here to use terms like “Race Baiter”. Sweetie, please make it less easy to spot the fact that you’re a right wing troll account here to attack black people and defend racists.
Kangol2
Oh Adolf von Frapathinskin, always pushing racist claptrap on here. You’re the perennial racebaiter and misogynist, and as usual, on the wrong side of history. Don’t you have a Don the Cowardly Con rally in New Hampshire to fly to, maskless? Wait, Don the Con had to cancel that because the turnout was going to be so low–er, the bad weather blah blah.
jonasalden
The Noble Negro strikes again. When will the Christian Coopers of the world realize that magnanimity only works on like-minded people. Stop simping. It’s undignified, especially for someone so hot (shallow I know, but he is). So very disappointing. Let her twist!
Rock-N-RollHS
So when someone calls the cops on you, you can press charges. “Nobel negro.” Racist much. He’s an individual making a decision that is right for him.
jjose712
I read interviews back in the day and i was impressed by him. He was upset but he was compasionate too.
Anyway, this absurd calls to the police (and with the reputation that cops have) needs to stop. You call the police when a crime is happening not when you are arguing with other person
Rock-N-RollHS
Reputation that cops have? Please. Ground control to major Tom.
Cam
@Rock-N-RollHS
Hey Right wing troll, yeah, the “Reputation” for the fact that the cops in that same city choked a man to death for selling cigarettes.
Go sell your lies someplace else.
HankHarris
While Mr. Cooper’s intent may be compassion, it may be largely irrelevent because the DA wouldn’t have brought the case to bear if they didn’t feel they have the evidence to prosecute. She’s caught on tape, and he most likely doesn’t even need to testify. Perhaps she’ll get a fine, or perhaps the judge could make her an example of her. The reason why these things still happen is that white people have had no recrimination for their actions. Maybe if people realize there are consequences, they’ll think twice about their malicious actions.
Jared MacBride
Video can’t be admitted as evidence unless he testifies to authenticate it.
jennifer.white530
Mr. Cooper is a class act. Why would he want to be in the same room with this woman again or waste the courts time. She is destroyed and is paying the price for being a racist. Hopefully, she will learn from her mistakes and this will prevent people from making false claims.
Kangol2
Nope, it’s not preventing people from making false claims. It happens every day. Cooper is making the choice that’s right for him, but the DA may decide she needs to be made an example of. Whether it deters others remains to be seen.
Me2
She committed a crime and deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, that’s NOT piling on, it’s FOLLOWING the law.
Not to mention that this is bigger than him. It’s almost his civic duty to press charges. He owes it to others who’ve had their lives ruined by false accusations to see this all the way through to the very end. His life could’ve been turned upside down had he been arrested. Strong precedence needs to be set to discourage other “Karens” because they’re definitely many more out there.
Jared MacBride
He doesn’t owe anyone any such thing. He did his bit already: it got her fired and made her a pariah. He has every right to move on. Besides, the woman is a lunatic. There’s nothing he can do about that.