Christian Cooper, the African-American bird watcher who was racially profiled by a woman in New York City, has opened up about the experience–and the consequences–of the incident.
Cooper, a gay man who works as a comic book writer, found himself at the center of drama following an incident in New York’s Central Park on May 25. Cooper had gone to a specific area of the park called The Ramble known as a bird habitat. Cooper is an avid bird watcher.
While there, he encountered Amy Cooper (no relation), an investment banker walking her dog. She had her dog off-leash, violating the rules for The Ramble. Christian asked Amy to put her dog on a leash, so as not to interfere with the birds nesting in the area. She refused. Christian began filming her, sending Amy into a frenzy. She dialed 9-1-1 to say “an African-American man is threatening me and my dog.” Following the incident, Christian Cooper’s sister Melody posted the clip to Twitter, where it became a viral sensation.
In the aftermath of the incident, Amy Cooper had her dog reclaimed by a rescue organization. Franklin Templeton, her employer, also terminated her.
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Related: White “Karen” calls cops on gay black man who asked her to leash her dog in Central Park
Now, in an interview with Gay USA, Christian Cooper has opened up about the incident, and the consequences for Amy Cooper.
“I decided to videotape her intransigent behavior,” Cooper says. “Up until then it was conflict between a bird watcher and a dog walker with their dog off-leash.”
Cooper went on to explain the problem of park-goers walking their dogs off-leash, and that he began to video record Amy Cooper’s actions to show authorities. During her call to 9-1-1, Amy Cooper yanked her dog about by the collar before finally putting him on a leash. Cooper then terminated the recording.
When it comes to the blowback experienced by Amy Cooper for her actions, Christian has mixed feelings.
“Her life went from normal to collapsed in about 60 seconds,” Christian observed. “For a lapse of judgment, a serious lapse of judgment, one that turned racist. I have very mixed feelings about the consequences for her, whether it’s proportional. I imagine she was trying to get a leg up in the confrontation… But she went to a racist place.”
At the time of this writing, Melody Cooper’s initial tweet of the video has more than 200,000 retweets and half a million likes.
Oh, when Karens take a walk with their dogs off leash in the famous Bramble in NY’s Central Park, where it is clearly posted on signs that dogs MUST be leashed at all times, and someone like my brother (an avid birder) politely asks her to put her dog on the leash. pic.twitter.com/3YnzuATsDm
— Melody Cooper (@melodyMcooper) May 25, 2020
Cam
I believe he now works for a science publication not a comic.
The thing that is left out is that before she made the call, she came up to him waving her finger in his face while he asked her politely several times to not come close to him.
She then threatened to call the police saying she would tell them an “African American man was threatening her”.
Then when she called them, her voice changed, she faked terror and tried to sound like she was being chased etc.
Kieran
CNN’s Van Jones argued Friday during an analysis on racial tensions that a “white, liberal Hillary Clinton supporter walking her dog in Central Park” can pose a more insidious threat to African Americans than openly racist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.
Jones was referring to Amy Cooper, the white woman who called the police on a black man in New York’s Central Park on Monday after he asked that she put her dog on a leash.
“It’s not the Ku Klux Klan that we have to worry about. It’s the white, liberal Hillary Clinton supporter walking her dog in Central Park who would tell you right now, ‘Oh I don’t see race, race is no big deal to me, I see all people the same, I give to charities,’ but the minute she sees a black man who she does not respect, or who she has a slight thought against, she weaponized race like she had been trained by the Aryan Nation,” Jones said.
Amen brother.
Bob LaBlah
If he were a smart man he would get an attorney and sue her rear end all the way back to Canada. She doesn’t have a leg to stand on in court and that high paying job she had thats all over the news surely had to offer a retirement plan that she could snatch away from her.
Hussain-TheCanadian
As soon as she crosses the border, we are sending her sorry behind all the way up north to Nunavut!
armandov
Get the F off your high horse. He is not the park police and then wanted to bait her by trying to entice her dog w/ treats and then taping her on his phone? How the hell would you feel as a woman alone in a remote area of the park when a strange man is confronting you – of any race?? She used bad judgement – she did not commit a crime. She is receiving death threats, is in isolation, has lost her job, her face all over the media. Have any of the thousands of murderers and rapists in NYC ever been publicly shamed as this woman has?? She is a scapegoat. If you and all of America wants to fix things, do something about the fact that 70% of ALL murders, rapes and assaults in this country are committed by black men. Think about that and express outrage about that
armandov
BTW – Whenever I go on this site which is probably once a month, I always see your name commenting. Do you have no life and site and comment on this site 24/7? Are you that much of a sad loser?
Bob LaBlah
@armondov……….Dear, tell the truth. What frustrates you is the fact that YOU didn’t think of the legal consequences of what she did and can’t accept the fact that I did. As for your frustrations I strongly suggest you try a laxative and see if that will help. You and your multiple sign in names sicken me just as much as my comments sicken you. And before I go, you are free to claim you have no idea what I’m talking about all you wish but I want YOU to know that I meant every last word of what I said regarding the altering of Greek mythology and what low self esteem causes people to say and believe (which is no doubt the leading cause of your panties getting twisted). Touche’?
curiobi
Yeah he should sue her! We just saw a police officer murder a black man, George Floyd, in broad daylight in front of witnesses and walk away with a paycheck and police protection while the city burns around him in rage and riots. There is no way she did not know calling the police on him was a death sentence, that was why she raised her voice pretending she was scared. And why she was fired from her job. And now she is playing the victim on top!
My2CentsWorth
The scary thing is that if he did not video the incident he would likely now be in jail (use to live in NYC. Never went to the jails but heard that they are very bad just to visit) without bail.
There have been many Black men who lives were ruined just because of their race.
What she did was a very bad crime. Just as bad as if a Black person HAD attacked her.
She should stay in the U. S.. She is not good enough to be in Canada.
Black Papa
White privilege …Inherent in just knowing that the right side of the law is most always White.. The gall and guts to make those false accusations and just wait for the police to come and validate her claim is disgusting. That a Black man is always going to be on the defensive is a precedent that must change. Thank goodness for intellect, articulation and in this case strength to direct the situation and video documentation – makes it definitive. It is a shame that everything from now on MUST be video documented. But Justice needs to happen. Dog back to the pound, NYC job gone, and Friends who know that IF they think the same way KAREN did that they are on the block next. Racism and the destruction of life and potential must be confronted. The employer needs to be evaluated for its breeding ground for that kind of white privileged behavior .
Randolfe
The employer did its job by firing her from a good paying job.
armandov
C’mon!! He baited her! He is not the park police and then wanted to bait her by trying to entice her dog w/ treats and then taping her on his phone? How the hell would you feel a woman alone in the remote area of the park when a strange man is confronting you – regardless of race? She has become the scapegoat for all. She is getting death threats, lost her job, her face on every media outlet and yet all of the murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc in NYC receive don’t receive any of the public shaming she does. If you want to do something – for real – fix the problem that 70% of all murders, assaults, rapes in this country are committed by black men. Fix that problem first and then deal w. other related issues. Stop being such a f-ing hypcorite
Cam
@armandov
So let’s see Troll, your argument is….
She was breaking the law, he wasn’t, but he’s the problem.
Mister P
Can someone explain “Karen”
Cam
Karen is typically used to describe a woman that creates problems, sees herself as a victim, and will ask to speak to an employees manager to intimidate them into taking back a damaged item she is trying to return or give her a free coffee.
Typically drinks wine with her other Karen friends wearing yoga pants out to lunch complaining about people.
This woman was karen-ing
darkanser
Oh!! So that’s the what the vernacular Karen means!! So when I get a guest who creates issues during the overnight shift at my hotel when none existed and then seeks undeserved compensation in the AM — and management always sides with the scammers — I can call that person a “Karen”. Good to know!!!
Low Country Boy
My 75-year-old mother is named Karen. The description totally fits.
skyboy63
He is a better man than me.I don’t think I would have his class and grace.
Kevan1
This always pi55ed me off growing up. When certain girls would fake cry, act upset and in general cause drama in order to get someone hurt or in trouble. I think women that pull this should be fined , arrested and exposed for who they are for trying to pull of their little insecure power trip. This guy was being a complete gentleman and making a reasonable request. She is just trash. She lost her job and deserved it for being such a pitiful excuse for a human.
sonic_source
I know women who fake or intentionally instigate situations for the sole purpose of getting someone in trouble. They are PSYCHO.
Kangol2
Christian Cooper is also a longtime, highly regarded gay activist, in addition to being a comic book pioneer and a science editor and writer. His calm, collected response to that crazy White woman (Central Park Karen) was impressive, and she deserves everything (except death threats) coming her way, but she’s not alone. This has been going on for years.
There was the Karen who called the cops on the Black people barbecuing in a public park. There was the student Karen who called the cops on a fellow student. who was Black, at Yale. There was the Karen who called the cops on the Black men waiting in Starbucks for a meeting. There was the Karen who called the cops on the Black child selling lemonade. Just the other day, a White male Karen called the cops on young Black executives who were using a gym in Minneapolis, just days after that cop murdered George Floyd. They had as much right to be there as he did!
Christian Cooper could very well have been killed by this Karen’s privilege, entitlement, fragility, and hysteria, and all because he asked her to follow the law, which I guess she felt did not apply to her. But then again, that is the history of this country and society. Racism and white supremacy, enforced by state violence, were baked in from the very beginning.
Black Pegasus
Meanwhile, over 50 people were shot in Chicago over the Memorial Day weekend while the media and Twitter rage about two Karens in a park.
Cam
The right wing troll accounts are always DESPERATE to deflect from any topic on racism or bigotry.
Funny how they never point out that Memphis, Birmingham, St. Louis, Houston, etc. all in red states have higher crime rates than Chicago.
sonic_source
Take it up with Twitter and the media, pal. Nobody in this chat group cares what you think.
Black Pegasus
@Cam
Rage on you little yapping chihuahua. LOL
@sonic_source
Apparently YOU care! Thanks for ready though. LOL
MISTERJETT
so you say that to say what? do you also know how many people were shot in Madison? how many people were shot in Dubuque? how many people were shot in Milwaukee? how many people were shot in Boston? how many people were shot in Salt Lake City? how many people were shot in Sacramento? how many people were shot in Tampa?
Bob LaBlah
As fast as you were running out of that burning Target up in Milwaukee last night with that big screen tv on your shoulder those wings may as well been on your as instead of your head.
Cam
@Black Pegasus
Awwww, the right wing troll couldn’t dispute my point so it lashed out and tantrumed.
o.codone
“two Karen’s in a park”. haahahahahaah.
Cam
If you want to see another example of this, look up Roxanne Pallet.
She was on celebrity big brother and accused another cast member of punching her, cried to producers, would have ruined his career.
She didn’t know that the cameras caught the incident showing that he didn’t punch her. When that story broke, former co-workers of hers came out saying she had made similar accusations against them to get a benefit, or because they had challenged her.
I doubt this is the first time this woman has done something like this.
MISTERJETT
he has a good case for a slander lawsuit, but it looks like he just might thank her for what she did. that’s unfortunate. all cheeks should not be turned if you know what i mean.
Kevan1
Sadly Trump and his ilk have empowered white supremacist and demoralized our country. Trump spreads nothing but hate. We will see this get worse if this man wins a second term. Please get out and vote against the little tyrant, dictator want to be.
Black Papa
Thanks..Trump and all the damage quietly and “innocently” perpetrated ..VOTE.. He and the fellow Republicans are not your friend.. Thanks for all the wonderful and educated post. !!
o.codone
what you’re saying is hateful and r a cist. Let ppl decide who they wanna vote for. Stay out of it. Like you matter anyway. Not.
Cam
@o.codone
Please point out exactly what was ra-ci-st in the statement.
Ohhhhh, right, all you right wing trolls can do is try to defend Trump any way possible, but you can never provide any rational details.
So go ahead. Detail it out.
Randolfe
This is an excellent story showing how there is invisible racism in our society. Cell phones seem to be a better weapon for truth than anything else. People can watch and make their own determinations.
Jake123
What this woman did feels a lot more sinister than typical Karen behaviour!!
butchqueen
If she is getting death threats, BOO HOO! Her act of calling the police on him and LYING, she should be prosecuted. Christian was far more graceful than I ever could be.
Gawd, he’s hot!!!
James
I don’t really understand why charges were not pressed. She called 911 to make a false charge. Terrible abuse of an overloaded system during a national emergency. Does anyone know why this Karen doesn’t have and arrest affidavit?
Wolfie
Okay. I have to say it. A gay man birdwatching the Rambles of Central Park?
jimontp
On a completely different take on your comment. I’m a senior gay man with a summer time cabin near the Russian River in Sonoma county. The bird calls start before 6 in the morning. Visually, I can recognize the chickadees, nuthatches, towees, jays, and the brown creepers that circle up the redwoods. I can’t recognize the other ones that nest in the boxes I put up years ago. If Christian ever feels he wants to escape the viral crap, he would be welcome to do bird watching here along the Russian River, twelve miles down to the ocean, and stay in the miniature guest room out in the redwood garden.
Cam
He is on the board of the Audoban society. So yes, he was birdwatching.
Dunnedin
For me the encounter changed radically when she dialed the police. When she didn’t get the reaction she wanted from 911, she goes hysterical and starts screaming that she’s being attacked. For those who say she was just over-reacting, what she said and how would mean the police would have shown up, guns drawn, assuming they were stopping a sexual assault. Even if he hadn’t been shot, he would have be roughly, physically restrained and perhaps “accidentally” killed while in restraint. Thank God he had a cellphone or it’d be another “Black rapist attacks white woman walking her dog in Central Park”.
Chrisk
I imagine this psycho bitch would’ve loved to see that as she was amping up the drama when the cops showed up.
Miles
Was she threatening to call the police before he started filming her?
Cam
Blaming the victim? She broke the law, but yes, her behavior is apparently all his fault?
ProudBLK Gay
Mr. Cooper has shown Ms. Copper far more human compassion than she seems capable of.
I hope his spiritual health…rubs off on her and many others!
He’s a damned good man!
OrchidIslander
Insightful and compassionate. As a gay brother, he made me very proud.
Aires the Ram
@ProudBLK Gay: One thing you can be sure of, is that his behavior and restraint, will NEVER “rub off” on a bi*t*c*h like that, or the huge numbers of females just exactly like her.
Kangol2
Sounds like Miss Amy–Central Park Karen–Cooper may be bonkers on top of being racist, hyper-privileged, entitled, and fragile.
According the NYPost, she claims she had an affair with a married Wall Street trader, who then knocked up another woman. CP Karen also said that he refused to return $65,000 she’d given him. A suit she filed against him was dismissed.
Also, according the NYPost, Wall Street trader says the whole “affair” was a fantasy in her head, and that she’d stalked him, harassed him, and berated him because he’d voted for Obama in 2008. He twice reported her to the police in New York and New Jersey.
One of her former dog walkers also seems to suggest that CP Karen didn’t have all her marbles. Is anyone surprised?
rand503
I’ve known a few women like that, sadly. They are so desperate for a man to pay any attention to them that they stalk some poor schlep for decades. All the while they fantasize these castles in the sky that he will one day call her up and say, “honey, let’s get married today!” And she will drop what she is doing, run to him, and he books a two seats to Hawaii and they get married on the beach as the sun sets over the ocean. Then they will live together in this perfect, perfect relationship.
These women tend to have no friends (except gay men like me) because they are really nuts. I ended one friendship that was like this, and the other is my sister.
Kieran
I heard she claimed Brett Kavanaugh raped her in grade school.
Neoprene
Let’s focus on what really matters, can we please. He’s totes handsome. Might be time to take up Christian Cooper watching in the Brambles. I’ll wear a collar with no leash so he tosses ME a cookie.