Can there possibly be a less intimidating individual than a Harvard-educated bird-watcher?
Apparently, not for one particular white, female investment executive, who is an expert at feigning hysterical terror.
The Amy Cooper-Christian Cooper encounter, by now viewed online by millions in the last 48 hours, is the second high-profile incident garnering national attention in recent weeks involving white people going after black men attempting to pursue recreation. Thankfully, Christian Cooper is alive and well, unlike Ahmaud Arbery, who was tragically murdered while jogging down the street in broad daylight in February.
But there is some good news. As despicable as these events were, at least it appears these racists will be suffering consequences for their actions. It’s a step in the right direction.
In Georgia, three men have been charged with murdering Arbery, and the FBI has launched a hate-crime investigation against Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William Bryan Jr.
University of Chicago graduate Amy Cooper has been fired from her lucrative job as a vice president at Franklin Templeton Investments, where according to her LinkedIn page, she led the insurance portfolio management and strategy business. She also lost custody of her dog, the animal that was at the heart of the entire dispute. Authorities should charge her for filing a false police report, although that hasn’t happened yet.
Special note: If someone is recording you, it’s probably not the best course of action to announce the prevarication you are about to fabricate and then proceed to follow through on camera. Chances are, it’s going to backfire spectacularly.
Amy Cooper’s actions were beyond repugnant and genuinely put Christian Cooper’s life at risk. Her trembling voice in the 911 call could have easily led to an all-guns-a-blazin’ response from law enforcement. One would like to believe that wouldn’t happen, but there is no doubt it could have.
The dispute allegedly started because Christian asked Amy to put a leash on her dog, which is required in that section of the park. She was breaking the rules. He was watching birds.
There is good reason he wanted her to put the dog on a leash. Unleashed dogs can destroy nests or harass ground-dwelling birds and small animals, to the point that the parents abandon their young, which Christian knew full well as a conservationist and board member of New York City’s Audubon Society.
Christian’s decision to record Amy, completely justified in and of itself, is validated further by her over-the-top reaction to his offering treats to the dog. This man took necessary action to protect himself.
An educated woman, Amy knew that if she announced a black man was “threatening” her, the world would rush to her defense. She comes right out and says it.
Christian Cooper is not the first Harvard-educated black man to be targeted in the city. In Sept. 2015, tennis professional James Blake was standing in front of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan when a plainclothes officer tackled and handcuffed him for no reason in an apparent case of mistaken identity.
The cop’s punishment? He lost five vacation days. That’s not good enough.
Progress takes time, but it is being made. Within a couple days, this woman’s moment of madness has already cost her a six-figure job, her beloved pet, and instantly turned her into a public pariah.
The more racists face these kinds of repercussions, the more likely this kind of nonsense will finally stop.