The case against the white woman who called the police on a black birdwatcher who approached her in Central Park has been dropped.
A Manhattan Criminal Court judge agreed on Tuesday to dismiss one count of filing a false report at the request of Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi after the defendant, Amy Cooper, completed therapy sessions that focused on racial biases.
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Illuzzi said Cooper’s therapist reported that their five sessions were “a moving experience,” adding that Cooper had “learned a lot” in the “comprehensive, respectful program designed towards introspection and progress.” This type of sentence is an alternative offered under the rubric of restorative justice, in part because Cooper has no previous criminal history.
“They provided psychoeducation and therapy services, which focused on the ways in which Ms. Cooper could appreciate that racial identities shape our lives, but we cannot use them to harm ourselves or others. Psychoeducation about racial equity is woven into each therapy session to prompt understanding and reflection,” she said about the Critical Therapy Center.
Cooper’s lawyer, Robert Barnes, thanked the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for “a thorough & honest inquiry” and added, “We thank them for their integrity and concur w/ the outcome. Others rushed to the wrong conclusion based on inadequate investigation & they may yet face legal consequences.”
In May of 2020, Cooper called the police and said, “an African American man” was threatening her when Christian Cooper, who is black and has no relation to her, asked her to put her dog on a leash because she was in violation of posted park rules. The incident snagged headlines after Christian Cooper’s sister posted a video of the encounter to Twitter. Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance revealed in October that Amy Cooper called the police a second time and said that he “tried to assault her,” which Illuzzi called “objectively not true.”
“Mr. Cooper did not wish to participate in the criminal justice process, but we determined that the defendant’s offense wasn’t solely against one individual but was a threat to the community if allowed to go unchecked,” Illuzzi said.
In the viral video, which did not capture the beginning of their interaction, and subsequent posts, Christian Cooper said that it was important for dogs to be kept on leashes because the area is meant for bird watching.
“Look, if you’re going to do what you want, I’m going to do what I want, but you’re not going to like it,” Christian Cooper told Amy Cooper before the filming of the encounter, according to a description he posted on Facebook. Christian Cooper then pulled out a bag of treats and offered her dog one. He insisted that he keeps treats on him for those types of situations because, in his experience, pet owners are not fond of strangers giving their pets food. However, Amy Cooper argued that he was throwing the treats at her dog, which he has denied.
After the incident gained national attention, Vance filed charges against Amy Cooper in October, accusing her of engaging in “racist criminal conduct” and charging her with falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, which is a misdemeanor in New York.
“Our Office is committed to safety, justice, and anti-racism, and we will hold people who make false and racist 911 calls accountable,” said Vance, pledging to “pursue a resolution of this case which holds Ms. Cooper accountable while healing our community, restoring justice, and deterring others from perpetuating this racist practice.”
Amy Cooper, who lost her job at Franklin Templeton after the video went viral, voluntarily surrendered the dog to Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue Inc. The shelter returned the dog to Cooper after the its veterinarians found the dog was in “good health.”
Representatives for Vance did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
