Watch: Amy Cooper Fired After Calling Police On Black Man Who Asked Her To Leash Her Dog

Amy Cooper, a white investment executive, has publicly apologized for calling the police on black bird watcher, Christian Cooper, in Central Park after they had a dispute which was caught on tape raising serious questions about white priviledge. The two got in an argument over Amy’s dog being unleashed. Amy falsely told the police that she was being threatened by an “African American man.”

Amy and Christian are not related. 

Amy told CNN that she wanted to publicly apologize and said, “I’m not a racist. I did not mean to harm that man in any way.”

The incident occurred between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. on Monday. Amy was walking her dog while Christian was bird watching in an area of Central Park called the Ramble. According to the park’s website, dogs are supposed to be kept on a leash at all times. 

Christian explained that he had asked Amy to put her dog on a leash and then took a video of their encounter and posted it on Facebook where it has been shared more than 2,000 times. In the video Amy says, “I’m taking a picture and calling the cops. I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.”

The New York Police Department stated that when the officers responded to the scene there was no one there and no arrests had been made. 

Amy explained, “I was just scared. When you’re alone in the Ramble, you don’t know what’s happening. It’s not excusable, it’s not defensible.”

She then said that because of the video her “entire life is being destroyed right now.”

Amy’s employer Franklin Templeton, an investment company, fired her late on Tuesday. 

Christian explained his reasoning for taping the video, “I videotaped it because I thought it was important to document things. Unfortunately we live in an era with things like Ahmaud Arbery, where black men are seen as targets. This woman thought she could exploit that to her advantage, and I wasn’t having it.”

Christian said he thought Amy’s firing was taking matters too far.