Amy Cooper Franklin Templeton employee threatens to call cops on African American man Christian Cooper after asking to put her dog back on leash at Central Park’s the Ramble.
Video of a white woman calling police and ‘falsely’ telling them that an African American man was threatening her life after he asked her to put her dog on a leash in New York‘s Central Park on Monday has led to social media discord.
Video posted Monday by Melody Cooper, a writer and director on HBO’s Two-Sentence Horror Stories, shows the woman – since identified as Amy Cooper VP of Investment Solutions for financial outlet, Franklin Templeton out walking her dog which is not attached to a leash.
The footage begins with the dog-walker, since nicknamed ‘Central Park Karen’ by social media users, walking up to Melody’s brother Christian Cooper upon noticing the man filming her.
‘Please stop, sir I’m asking you to stop,’ the woman tells Christian Cooper.
Christian, who does not appear on camera, claimed in a Facebook post that he alerted her to a sign that states dogs cannot be walked in the Rambles from 9am to 9pm as it’s an area that protects wildlife.
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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
The man, who is an avid bird-watcher, claimed she replied that the dog runs are closed and her pet ‘needs his exercise’.
Christian explained in a Facebook post that he replied: ‘All you have to do is take him to the other side of the drive, outside the Ramble, and you can let him run off leash all you want.’
He states she replied: ‘It’s too dangerous.’
Christian told Facebook followers that he told her: ‘Look, if you’re going to do what you want, I’m going to do what I want, but you’re not going to like it.’
He then beckoned the woman’s dog toward him and pulled out ‘dog treats I carry for just for such intransigence’.
But he stated he didn’t get a chance to toss any treats ‘before Karen scrambled to grab the dog’ and yelled: ‘DON’T YOU TOUCH MY DOG!’
‘That’s when I started video recording with my iPhone, and when her inner Karen fully emerged and took a dark turn…’ Cooper posted on Facebook Monday.
‘I’m am in Central Park, there is an African American man. He is recording me and threatening my dog.’
In the clip he responds: ‘Please don’t come close to me’ several times as the woman asks him to stop filming then tells him she’s calling the cops.
When Christian invites her to ‘please call the cops’, she emphatically responds, ‘I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.’
Christian responds to the dog owner: ‘Please tell them whatever you like.’
She is then heard saying: ‘I’m in the Ramble and an African American man with a bicycle helmet, he is recording me and threatening my dog.’
She pauses for a moment then continues: ‘I’m am in Central Park, there is an African American man. He is recording me and threatening my dog.’
There is another pause as the woman listens to the other end of the phone line then she suddenly sounds hysterical.
‘I’m being threatened by a man in the Ramble, please send the cops immediately…’
‘I’m sorry I can’t hear,’ she cries. ‘I’m being threatened by a man in the Ramble, please send the cops immediately…’
After a brief pause she responds to the operator: ‘I’m in Central Park in the Ramble, I don’t know.’
At that point the woman clips the dog onto a leash and Christian responds: ‘Thank you’ and stops filming.
Central Park states that dogs must be on a leash from 9am to 9pm in the Ramble – a protected nature reserve between 73rd and 78th Streets.
Christian’s sister said he stopped filming once she adhered to his request.
This kind of entitlement dog walking happens weekly in the Ramble,’ the sister tweeted.
Cooper explained that her sibling ‘started filming her because she refused to put her dog on a leash and he sensed she was going to go full on Karen. And she did.’
‘Notice how her immediate response is to tell the cops an ‘African American’ man is ‘threatening’ her. She weaponized her tears & knows that the fastest way for cops to respond is to put her virtual white hood on. Disgusting and a reminder of Emmett Till. Nothing has changed,’ Twitter user ISASaxonists posted.
Of note, according to her Linkden profile (since removed), Amy M. Cooper graduated from the University of Waterloo in Canada in 2003 with a degree in math/actuarial science and got a masters degree from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business in 2009. She is likely a Canadian by birth and is 40 years of age.
Using the NYPD to weaponize her whiteness:
A Manhattan DA candidate shared her opinion on the matter Monday after the video was shared online, and vowed to make sure Christian would not become yet another victim of the criminal justice system that had been criticized for disfavoring poor black Americans.
‘This is serious. Happened today in Manhattan. As a public defender for over a decade, I have tried cases where the Manhattan DA uses a “hysterical 911 call” as categorical evidence of guilt. Usually there’s no video like this to refute it,’ Elisa Orlins explained according to a report via the dailymail.
‘What happens: White lady calls the cops on Black man. Cops believe her. He gets arrested and then arraigned. Outrageous bail gets set. His family cannot afford to buy his freedom. He gets sent to Rikers Island, where he sits for any number of days, months, or years.
‘Eventually the case resolves in some way–gets dismissed or he takes a plea to the charge or a lesser offense to get out because he’s threatened with doing serious time. Meanwhile, he’s potentially lost his job, his home, his children. Right now, it is even worse.
‘People are sitting on Rikers Island on the basis of nothing more than an accusation (like in this video!) with the added risk of contracting COVID-19. So, we can call out these “Karens,” but also we need a Manhattan DA who is committed to real reform. I will be that DA.’
Reportedly, the police showed up around 8 AM but Cooper and the man had left the area by that point. No arrests or citations took place. The initial dispatch call was for “possible assault.”
Of note, Cooper has since deleted her social media profiles that identify her and the place where she works along with now having taking leave from her place of work along with Animal Rescue having taken possession of her dog.
And then there were these responses to Amy Cooper on twitter. See what you think?
‘Amy Cooper, the VP of Investment Solutions at Franklin Templeton, needs to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for falsely accusing an African American man of being violent against her and calling 911. This isn’t about cancel culture. This is about basic accountability.’
The Animal Rescue has taken possession of Amy Cooper’s dog. pic.twitter.com/t8izZX9xhi
— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) May 26, 2020
‘Exactly. If the police showed up without video available and #AmyCooper the VP of Investment Solutions at #FranklinTempleton mentions her job and station, in an effort to influence the situation, that man would be in trouble…record everything #smh’
‘This American consumer and investor would like to know if Amy reflects the values of and what they intend to do about this horrid representative of their company.’
‘I used to work at Franklin Templeton and this sense of entitlement runs deep there.’
‘It’s called attempted Murder. You know he would be in jail now, or worst. She needs to be charged.’
‘@FTI_US Is this person, #AmyCooper, an employee? If so, you may want to reconsider. This is really bad.’
‘I’d like to know if there’s a culture of racism within Franklin Templeton’s executive leadership team I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first time Amy Cooper has shown her racism.’
‘I believe in the power of forgiveness & love, but people have been getting free passes for racism, lying, abusing, even destroying others – all based on their own fears/crap – for far too long. Centuries. It’s time to grow up. Consequences.’