Ontario Grad Amy Cooper Just Got Charged After The Racist Central Park Incident
The Ontario graduate who called the police on a Black man in New York's Central Park has been charged. Amy Cooper has been charged with filing a false report after accusing Christian Cooper of "threatening [her] life." The incident happened back in May.
On May 25, University of Waterloo graduate Cooper phoned police to report that Christian Cooper, no relation, was threatening her.
The male Cooper filmed the caucasian woman on his phone as she called 911 to accuse him, according to the Associated Press.
The case drew widespread attention amid heightened racial tensions across the world.
And, on Monday, July 6, The Manhattan District Attorney's Office released a statement noting that Ms. Cooper has been given a criminal charge.
"Today our Office initiated a prosecution of Amy Cooper for Falsely Reporting an Incident in the Third Degree," the statement reads.
"Our office will provide the public with additional information as the case proceeds. At this time I would like to encourage anyone who has been the target of false reporting to contact our Office.
"We are strongly committed to holding perpetrators of this conduct accountable.”
The release goes on to note that Ms. Cooper faces an arraignment hearing in October.
According to The New York Times, the misdemeanour charge that Cooper faces carries a maximum jail sentence of one year.
However, NYT also notes that she could get a conditional discharge or be given community service instead of prison time.
After receiving a huge backlash to the video, which included being fired from her job, Cooper walked back the claims she made on video to the police.
"He had every right to request that I leash my dog in an area where it was required,” she said in the written statement, per AP.
"I am well aware of the pain that misassumptions and insensitive statements about race cause and would never have imagined that I would be involved in the type of incident that occurred with Chris."
NYT reports that the incident in Central Park began when Mr. Cooper asked Ms. Cooper to leash her dog, in accordance with the rules of the area of the park that they were in at the time.