Woman fired after backlash from racist Central Park confrontation

NEW YORK (NEWS 1130) — A global investment firm employee has been fired after a confrontation she had with a black man birdwatching in Central Park.

Franklin Templeton initially tweeted about starting an investigation into the incident involving an employee, saying the employee had been put on “administrative leave.”

Another tweet came several hours later on Tuesday with a final decision.

“Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday (Monday), we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton,” the company said.

Video of the confrontation between the employee and man birdwatching went viral, sparking accusations of racism against the woman.

During the verbal dispute, birdwatcher Christian Cooper pulled out his phone and captured Amy Cooper calling police to report she was being threatened by “an African-American man.” The widely watched video — posted on Facebook by Christian Cooper and on Twitter by his sister — has sparked accusations of racism.

Christian Cooper said he noticed Amy Cooper had let her cocker spaniel off its leash against the rules in the Ramble, a secluded section of Central Park popular with birdwatchers.

In a Facebook post, he claimed the dog was “tearing through the plantings” and told her she should go to another part of the park. When she refused, he pulled out dog treats, causing her to scream at him to not come near her dog.

Amy Cooper also warned him she would summon police unless he stopped recording.

“I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life,” Amy Cooper is heard saying in the video as she pulls down her face mask and struggles to control her dog.

“Please call the cops,” Christian Cooper says.

“There’s an African American man, I’m in Central Park, he is recording me and threatening myself and my dog. … Please send the cops immediately!” she says during the call before he stops recording.

Police say by the time they responded, they were both gone.

Messages were left Tuesday with Christian Cooper and his sister.

“I videotaped it because I thought it was important to document things,” Christian Cooper told CNN. “Unfortunately we live in an era with things like Ahmaud Arbery, where black men are seen as targets. This woman thought she could exploit that to her advantage, and I wasn’t having it.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the video exemplified hatred that has “no place in our city.”

“The video out of Central Park is racism, plain and simple,” de Blasio tweeted. “She called the police BECAUSE he was a Black man. Even though she was the one breaking the rules. She decided he was the criminal and we know why.”

In the fallout, investment firm Franklin Templeton announced it was putting Amy Cooper on administrative leave while it investigates the confrontation, while a group called Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue said it had custody of the dog for the time being.

Cooper told CNN that she wanted to “publicly apologize to everyone,” adding, “I am not a racist.”

“I think I was just scared,” she said. “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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