An investment company has placed one of its female employees on administrative leave after she was recorded calling the police on a black man in Central Park, the New York Post reports.
Yesterday, Melody Cooper took to Twitter to share a video of the moment a white woman called the cops on her brother, Christian Cooper, after he had allegedly asked her to put her dog on its leash
In the video, the woman - who reports are identifying as Amy Cooper - can be heard telling the emergency service operator that an "African-American man" was "threatening her and her dog".
The video can be seen below:
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Melody later shared the video to Twitter, and labeled Amy Cooper as "Karan" in the caption. She wrote:
"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."
According to Dictionary.com, 'Karen' is a "mocking slang term for an entitled, obnoxious, middle-aged white woman."
Christian Cooper, who can be heard speaking calmly throughout the video, claims he asked Amy Cooper to put her dog on a leash. When she refused, he offered the dog a treat.
He told NBC New York:
"The only way they can keep the dog from eating the treat is to put it on a leash. At some point, she decided I’m gonna play the race card, I guess."
Amy Cooper claimed she felt threatened because she didn't know what the treats were made from. She also apologized for the incident during a phone interview with NBC New York. She said:
"I sincerely and humbly apologize to everyone, especially to that man, his family. It was unacceptable and I humbly and fully apologize to everyone who’s seen that video, everyone that’s been offended… everyone who thinks of me in a lower light and I understand why they do."
But Amy Cooper's troubles didn't end their, as several social media users also accused her of animal cruelty.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter]]
[[imagecaption|| Credit: Twitter]]
Throughout the video, seemingly in panic, she can be seen uncomfortably grabbing and dragging the struggling dog by its collar.
Later Monday (May 25), Amy had allegedly returned her adopted pooch to a local animal shelter.
Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue said in a statement: "As of this evening, the owner has voluntarily surrendered the dog in question to our rescue while this matter is being addressed.
"The dog is now in our rescue’s care and he is safe and in good health."
Per the Post, the shelter did not publicly identify the woman or link her to the Central Park incident.
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Writing on Twitter, Melody Cooper later provided an update on her brother, saying:
"My brother & I are so grateful for your concern! He is fine and left to continue birding after she leashed the dog, as he politely requested. I wanted folks to know what happened to make sure it never happens again from her. All she had to do was put her poor dog on the leash."