Christian Cooper – The man who recorded a heated encounter in New York over the weekend has spoken out, acknowledging the woman’s apology, however saying her actions were “definitely racist”.
Cooper had been birdwatching Central Park in New York City, when an argument ensued with her after he asked her to put her dog on a leash. The area does not allow for me sdogs to roam unleashed.
Mr Cooper then began recording Ms Cooper as she told him she’s “going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life”
She then made a call to the police and made a false report of the incident as her dog, being yanked on its collar by Ms Karen Cooper, squirmed for freedom.
However, Mr Cooper has said the woman who called the cops on him is now having her life threatened, which he said was “strange” and “inappropriate and abhorrent and should stop immediately”.
The incident was then shared on social media by Mr Cooper’s sister which sparked an outrage, making global headlines, as Ms Cooper was labelled “racist”.
Ms Cooper has since been fired from her job at investment company Franklin Templeton after she was briefly placed on administrative leave. She also willingly surrendered her dog to an animal rescue shelter after she was accused of animal cruelty.
Ms Cooper has apologised for the incident, however claimed she is “not a racist”. She also said she’s received life threats, and told CNN in a recent interview her “entire life is being destroyed right now”.
“I think her apology is sincere,” Mr Cooper told cnn recently. “I’m not sure that in that apology she recognises that while she may not be or consider herself a racist, that particular act was definitely racist.”
“And the fact that that was her recourse at that moment — granted, it was a stressful situation, a sudden situation — you know, maybe a moment of spectacularly poor judgment. But she went there and had this racist act that she did,” he said.
Mr Christian also mentioned that he’d been informed since the video went viral, people had been making threats to Ms Cooper.
“I am told there has been death threats and that is wholly inappropriate and abhorrent and should stop immediately,” he said.
“I find it strange that people who were upset that … that she tried to bring death by cop down on my head, would then turn around and try to put death threats on her head.
“Where is the logic in that?” he said. “Where does that make any kind of sense?”
“I’m not a racist. I did not mean to harm that man in any way,” Ms Cooper said in an initial apology over the incident. She said she meant no harm to the larger African-American community.
“I think I was just scared,” she said in an interview with CNN.
“When you’re alone in the Ramble, you don’t know what’s happening.
“It’s not excusable, it’s not defensible.”
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