A white woman who called the police on a black man telling her to put her dog on a leash says she's 'not a racist'
- Amy Cooper, who was filmed calling the police on Christian Cooper (no relation) in Central Park on Monday, issued an apology on Tuesday.
- "I'm not a racist. I did not mean to harm that man in any way," Amy Cooper told CNN.
- A video of the incident was posted on Twitter and has been viewed more than 21.9 million times.
- The video shows Amy Cooper telling Christian Cooper that she'd tell the police there was "an African American man threatening my life" after he told her to put her dog on a leash.
A white woman who was recorded on Monday calling the police on a black man who told her to put her dog on a leash issued an apology on Tuesday, telling CNN she's "not a racist."
"I'm not a racist. I did not mean to harm that man in any way," Amy Cooper told CNN, adding that she wanted to "publicly apologize to everyone."
In a video of the incident that circulated on Twitter on Monday night, Amy Cooper can be heard telling the police there's "an African American man threatening my life."
The video, which has been viewed more than 21.9 million times, was shared on Twitter by Melody Cooper, a screenwriter, who said her brother, Christian Cooper, was the man behind the camera. Amy Cooper has no relation to Melody and Christian Cooper.
Melody Cooper said her brother recorded the video after asking Amy Cooper to put her dog on a leash in a protected area of Central Park.
"I'm taking a picture and calling the cops," Amy Cooper can be heard saying in the video. "I'm going to tell them there's an African American man threatening my life."
Amy Cooper has issued apologies to NBC New York and CNN, saying she was "just scared" in the moment when Christian Cooper offered her dog a treat.
"When you're alone in the Ramble, you don't know what's happening," she told CNN. "It's not excusable. It's not defensible."
"I sincerely and humbly apologize to everyone, especially to that man, his family," she told NBC New York. "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."
Christian Cooper told CNN that he thought it was important to document the incident, especially during an era when white people have called the police on black people doing mundane things like driving a delivery truck, cheering on their children at soccer games, entering their own apartment buildings, and barbecuing in the park.
"Unfortunately we live in an era with things like Ahmaud Arbery, where black men are seen as targets," Christian Cooper said. "This woman thought she could exploit that to her advantage, and I wasn't having it."
Amy Cooper told CNN that her "life is being destroyed" because of the video.
Franklin Templeton, a US asset-management firm where she works, fired her after investigating the incident, and an animal-rescue organization has taken possession of her dog.
"Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately," Franklin Templeton said in a tweet on Tuesday. "We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton."
This article has been updated.
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