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(CNN) – A white woman apologized for calling police to report a black man in Central Park on Monday, after the two argued that her dog should be on a leash.
Amy Cooper told CNN that she wanted to “publicly apologize to everyone.”
“I am not racist. I didn’t want to hurt that man in any way, ”he said, adding that he also didn’t want to hurt the black community.
She was walking her dog on Monday while Christian Cooper was birding in a wooded area of Central Park called The Ramble.
Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper are not related.
They both told CNN that the dispute started because Amy Cooper’s dog was not tied up. Dogs are supposed to be on a leash at all times in The Ramble, according to the website from the park.
The dog was released to the shelter from which it was adopted days earlier while the dispute was being addressed, according to a Facebook post by Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue, Inc.
“The dog is now in our care and is safe and in good health,” the post said.
Christian Cooper recorded a video of a part of their meeting and posted it on Facebook, where it has been shared more than 2,000 times since then.
“I’m taking a picture and calling the police,” Amy Cooper is heard saying in the video. “I will tell you that there is an African American man threatening my life.”
The New York Police Department told CNN that when officers responded, neither Christian Cooper nor Amy Cooper were present. No arrests or subpoenas were made, according to New York Police.
“I think I was scared,” said Amy Cooper. “When you are alone on The Ramble, you don’t know what’s going on. It is not excusable, it is not defensible. ”
She told CNN that since the video was released, “her entire life is being destroyed now.”
Her employer, the investment company Franklin Templeton, put her on administrative leave.
“We take these matters very seriously, and we do not tolerate racism of any kind. While we are in the process of investigating the situation, the employee involved has been put on administrative leave, ”the company statement said.
The incident is cited as another example of white people calling the police to report black people for worldly things.
“I videotaped it because I thought it was important to document things,” said Christian Cooper. “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 going to allow it. “
When asked if she would accept her apology, Christian Cooper told CNN that “if it is genuine and if she plans to keep her dog on a leash in The Ramble onward then there is no problem between us.”
What led to the video?
The incident started between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. on Monday, both sides told CNN on Monday.
Christian Cooper, who described himself as an avid bird watcher, was doing such an activity on The Ramble. The area is “an important bird watching point. It is on the Atlantic route, ”he said.
That’s when he says he saw a dog without a leash.
“That is important to bird watchers because we know that the dogs will not be off leashes and we can go there to see the birds that inhabit the ground,” said Christian Cooper. “People also spend a lot of money and time planting in those areas. Nothing grows on a dog path for a reason. “
Amy Cooper tells CNN that she was walking her untied dog, knowing she was against the rules.
“I was running in an open field. This man was bird watching. He came out of the bushes, ”he said, adding that Christian Cooper was yelling at him.
Christian Cooper says the dog was “tearing the plants,” and told Amy Cooper that the dog had to be on a leash. He says he was not yelling at Amy Cooper and that “he was actually pretty calm.”
They both came and went on the subject of the dog leash. Christian Cooper, according to his Facebook post, said to Amy Cooper: “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.”
“I didn’t know what that meant. When you’re alone in a wooded area, that’s absolutely scary, right? ”Said Amy Cooper.
It was then that Christian Cooper says he took out dog treats. He told CNN that he carries dog treats with him so that dog owners put their leashes on their pets. Christian Cooper said that, in their experience, dog owners hate when a stranger feeds their animals and immediately grab them.
Amy Cooper says she was throwing them at her dog, but Christian Cooper says she never threw the treats.
And that’s when he started recording the incident, Christian Cooper said on Facebook.
What happens in the video?
The video begins with Amy Cooper pulling her dog by the collar and telling Christian Cooper to stop recording.
“Please don’t come near me,” says Christian Cooper, as she approaches him.
“Sir, I’m asking you to stop recording me,” says Amy Cooper.
He asks her again not to come close.
That’s when Amy Cooper says she’s going to call the police.
“I will tell you that there is an African American man threatening my life,” she says.
“Please tell them what you want,” says Christian Cooper.
The video shows Amy Cooper on her phone.
“There is a man, African American, he has a bicycle helmet,” she says. “He’s filming me and he’s threatening me and my dog.”
While on the phone, her dog seems to be trying to break free as she tries to hold him back.
“I’m being threatened by a man on The Ramble,” she continues in a remarkably distressed voice. “Please send the police over there immediately!”
The video ends with Christian Cooper saying “Thank you.”
CNN’s Julie In contributed to this report.
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