The Manhattan District Attorney will prosecute Amy Cooper, the white woman whose racist confrontation with a Black bird watcher in Central Park touched off widespread controversy this past May.
Manhattan DA Cy Vance announced the misdemeanor charge in a short statement on Monday afternoon. “Today our office initiated a prosecution of Amy Cooper for falsely reporting an incident in the third degree,” he said. “We are strongly committed to holding perpetrators of this conduct accountable.”
Cooper was issued a desk appearance ticket. She faces up to a year in jail if convicted.
The charge stems from a widely circulated video taken of Cooper in the Central Park Ramble over Memorial Day Weekend. After a Black man requested Cooper place her cocker spaniel on a leash, the white woman dialed 911, informing the operator, "There's an African-American threatening my life."
Cooper repeatedly emphasized the man's race, her voice growing more distressed as she claimed that she was in imminent danger, despite video showing her approaching the bird watcher, Christian Cooper (no relation).
Video of the incident, which occurred the same day as George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis, quickly racked up millions of views, and nearly unanimous condemnation from New Yorkers. Within days, Cooper had lost her job at a finance firm and surrendered her rescue dog to a shelter.
While local lawmakers called for criminal penalties against Cooper, NYPD leaders initially dismissed the idea, claiming, “We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
A spokesperson for the NYPD did not immediately respond to Gothamist's questions about the charges.
The New York City Commission on Human Rights initiated their own investigation in May, which could result in a restorative justice process or potentially civil penalties, a spokesperson for the agency said at the time. The status of that investigation investigation is unclear
Cooper is scheduled to be arraigned on October 14th.
"Our office will provide the public with additional information as the case proceeds," Vance said. "At this time I would like to encourage anyone who has been the target of false reporting to contact our Office."
