Right before the senseless killing of George Floyd, the world was introduced to Amy Cooper — a white woman who was out in New York City with her dog. Amy happened to be out in Central Park enjoying the day when she saw Christian Cooper, a black man who was out bird-watching. Christian — who shares no relation to Amy — wasn't doing anything wrong. However, Amy reacted in a way that'll make you realize the pain and struggle that all black people have to endure.
Amy threatened to call the cops on Christian. His main offense? Being black. But Amy saw a "threat" in Christian asking her to leash her dog. It wasn't his rule. The leashing requirement is actually stated clearly by the park.
"I'm taking a picture and calling the cops," Amy said in a video that went viral. "I'm going to tell them there's an African American man threatening my life." Obviously, Christian wasn't doing anything of the sort. However, he knew that just that threat might endanger his life.
And he wasn't wrong. When George Floyd died, everyone around the world saw the brutality that happens to black people on a daily basis. Much like Christian, George didn't do anything wrong. He was a suspect of a minor, nonviolent charge. And that accusation — along with blatant racism — cost him his life.
Amy later apologized, but it seemed forced. She was seen on tape lying about what went down. She knew the power that she had over Christian, and it's sickening.
Christian taped the incident because he knew it would be a good idea to document the conversation. "I videotaped it because I thought it was important to document things," he said, per 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."
Amy suffered a lot of backlash for the exchange. For one, she lost her job after the video circulated. It's proof that actions like this have very strong consequences. How can anyone trust Amy or the work she does after seeing her blatantly lie about the situation at hand?
Amy worked at Franklin Templeton, an investment management company. "Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately," the company wrote on Twitter. "We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton."
It was a step in the right direction. But as many activists have pointed out, there should be more in place to make sure incidents like this don't happen again. Also, it's unclear as to whether or not Amy's racist views negatively affected any of her coworkers, but it's worth a review to make sure the company provides an environment where everyone feels safe.
However, people aren't that happy with how the subject of Amy's dog ended up. After the incident, the dog — who seemed in pain many times during the video — was "voluntarily surrendered" by Amy. At the time, the pup went to the Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue. Many people felt good that the dog, named Henry, had a chance of finding a better home.
However, recent news states that Amy has reunited with Henry — which is causing a lot of mixed emotions. Aside from the leashless allegations made by Christian which sparked outrage, Amy also seemed to be abusing the dog. She didn't appear to know how to properly handle a pet.
The group investigated the situation and made sure Henry was checked out. Staff decided he was in good condition to be returned, although they admit that the video was troubling. "The dog was promptly evaluated by our veterinarian, who found that he was in good health," they wrote, per People magazine.
The decision outraged many of the people who are fans of the organization. "This may be a wonderful organization that is doing a lot of good, but in my opinion, they made the wrong decision in this case," a woman named Rachel commented. "The way this woman treated her dog and the fact that she was oblivious that the dog was struggling while she went on her rant, tells me she should not own a pet."
Another commenter named Eric felt as if their action would cause the dog to face abandonment once again. "So many people would have adopted this dog or crowdsourced funds to help the dog find a safe home," Eric wrote. "This was ABSOLUTELY the wrong decision. DO BETTER. You have now set a dangerous precedent."
A Facebook user named Christine felt similarly. "This dog has no voice, no choice, and you failed him by returning him to this despicable human," Christine wrote. "She is capable of doing much worse and probably has done much worse behind closed doors. You FAILED a dog you rescued."
The video really made a case that Amy doesn't know how to treat either pets or human beings. Sometimes, videos end up showing sides of people that we never would have realized. There was nothing in the video that made it seem as if this was the first time she's interacted with others this way.
While she did have a lot taken away from her, it's important to realize that as far as racism goes, it's likely not the first time Christian had someone speak to him that way before. Amy's act was despicable, as she knew she held the power in this situation. And in saying her words, she also proved she's not a fit dog owner.
Even if her actions with Henry were an accident, she still failed to follow the rules set up by the park. Leash laws exist for many reasons. Even if she didn't think her dog was a threat, another dog could interpret Henry that way. It's also possible that Christian, or any other person in the park that day, had a fear of dogs.
It's just a polite gesture and a way to keep everyone safe. Amy thought that she was above the rules, and it may be due to white privilege. She probably knew that a police officer wouldn't stop her for such a minor offense. But they would stop Christian for these "threats." While the Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue may have made a bad call for returning Henry, hopefully staff are able to check up and make sure that Amy's stepping up in terms of care. And fingers crossed that Amy realizes her white privilege and treats black men with more respect.
