Central Park birdwatching incident

On May 25, 2020, a scuttle took place between Christian Cooper, a birdwatcher, and Amy Cooper (no relation), a dogwalker, in New York City's Central Park.

Amy's dog was unleashed in an area where leashing is required for the safety of the wildlife. It appears that Amy had declined Christian's request that she leash her dog. Christian called the dog.  When Amy said the dog would not come to him, he beckoned the dog toward him with a dog treat. Amy yelled "Don't you touch my dog!". Christian then recorded Amy, who called 9-1-1 and said,

"There is an African American man—I am in Central Park—he is recording me and threatening myself and my dog. Please, send the cops immediately!" By the time NYPD officers responded, both parties had left. Amy's employer fired her and stated that they "do not tolerate racism ...".  

Aftermath
In July 2020, Amy was charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to one year in jail. They dropped those charges in February 2021, as she had completed an educational course on racial identity.

References

Category:Racism in North America
Category:Controversies in the United States