Amy Cooper, a white-woman, called police on a black man Christian Cooper (no relation) who was bird-watching while claiming that he was the one who threatened her life and safety. The video of the incident which went viral on social media showed the woman, holding her dog in such an uncomfortable way that the pet started to struggle.
In the viral video, she can be heard changing her voice in a very dramatic way to send a message that she was literally being physically assaulted at that moment. At this time, when the U.S. has been facing several incidents, including protests related to the racism, Amy knew what will be the consequences if she calls 911 for assistance while claiming that an "African American" is threatening her life.
The incident in Central Park on Monday conjured the memories of another innocent soul, who became the victim of racism and was murdered 65 years ago. Thanks to the video, this time people got a clear idea of what actually happened on that day. But it turned out that Christian Cooper asked her to put a leash on her dog in the Ramble woodlands area of Central Park on Monday. Two days later, Amy's employer, Franklin Templeton fired her.
In a tweet, the firm stated that "Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton." It should be noted that on Monday, when Amy made a false report against the African American Christian Cooper, on the same day police officers in Minnesota were literally killing a fully restrained and handcuffed 46-year-old black man named George Floyd.
She Destroyed Her Own Life
Even though later, she apologized for the behavior and the incident in Central Park, Amy Cooper said that her life is being "destroyed" by others since Christian Cooper's Facebook video showcasing the Central Park incident went viral.
While apologizing, Amy said that "words are just words and I can't undo what I did, but I sincerely and humbly apologize to everyone." But what happened in Central Park is more than just uttering a few words against an African American. The apology was not enough to neither hold her job, not to rebuild her career and life.
What Was Wrong With Amy Cooper?
On Monday, she was walking her dog, without a leash on, which is against the rules in Central Park. When she was asked to follow the rules she responded in such a way that was noticed as a white privilege by many people after the video went viral.
She also dragged the incident to another level, addressing the Christian Cooper as an "African American man." Even she made herself clear to the man, before calling 911, stating that if he didn't stop recording her, she could get back at him by using her privilege and claim that he is the one who is threatening her.
By doing this she was trying to prove that she could use her race and gender to get over on him and one phone call could destroy him. Even her employer wrote on Twitter that "We take these matters very seriously, and we do not condone racism of any kind."
Things in Central Park between Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper could have ended. If there wasn't a video of this incident, Amy Cooper would have taken her lie way too far. One of the netizens, shared a few pictures on Twitter, stating, "Just wanted to share. A lot of people don't know American history. Amy Cooper behavior could have caused a innocent man his life as another White woman did for young Emmett Till."
Emmett Till was a 14-year-old black boy from Chicago and was murdered in 1955 after entering a local store in Mississippi. It happened after a 21-year-old white woman told people that Emmett had been inappropriate and whistled at her among other things. As a result, he was first kidnapped from home, tortured, and then murdered brutally murdered.
But, almost 52-years-later Carolyn Bryant Dunham admitted that she lied to people and made the story up. But, she was never held accountable for what happened to Emmett and his family.
