THE victim of Central Park banker Amy Cooper has broken his silence over the shocking incident but admits he can’t say if she is definitely a racist.
The 41-year-old hit the headlines after she called the cops on Christian Cooper when he asked her to follow the rules and put a leash on her dog.
The avid birdwatcher then filmed her as she falsely told cops there is “an African American man threatening my life” for a video which has now gone viral.
Christian spoke out as it was revealed Amy has received death threats in the wake of the high-profile incident.
The 41-year-old was fired from her high-powered job as head of insurance investment solutions at Franklin Templeton on Tuesday after being placed on administrative leave a day earlier.
The company tweeted: “Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately.
“We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton.”
However, Christian has said he can’t see how her firing her deal with the issues blighting American society.
“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” he told the New York Daily News. “I can’t see how that addresses the underlying issues. I think it’s important to move beyond this instance and this one individual.
“Too much focus has been put on her when it really is about the underlying issues that have plagued this city and this country for centuries. Racial issues.”
And he said although he couldn’t judge whether the banker is actually racist he does believe her actions were probably a sign of white privilege .
“Where she went was a racist place. That action was racist. Does that make her a racist? I can’t answer that. Only she can with what she does going forward,” he said
“Maybe she was trying to gain an advantage. She went there, and she needs to reflect on what she did.”
The Harvard graduate also revealed he is upset to hear Amy has been targeted on social media.
“I’m very upset she’s getting death threats. That’s antithetical to the appropriate response,” he said.
“If you’re upset that she put my life in danger by trying to bring the cops down on a black man, then how can you turn around and make a death threat? That makes no sense. It’s downright awful.”
Before she lost her job, Amy told CNN she wanted to “publicly apologize to everyone.”
“I’m not a racist. I did not mean to harm that man in any way,” she said.
“I think I was just scared. When you’re alone in the Ramble, you don’t know what’s happening. It’s not excusable, it’s not defensible.”
In the beginning of the minute-long video, Amy attempts to get a hold of her free-roaming dog as Christian, 57, asks her to place him on a leash.
Dogs are legally required to be leashed at all times in The Ramble, a protected wildlife area of the park commonly used by birdwatchers.
Despite this, Amy refused and a verbal confrontation quickly ensued, prompting him to film the encounter as she walked towards him.
“Please stop, sir I’m asking you to stop recording me,” she demands in the clip.
“She adds: I’m going to tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life.
Christian responds: “Please, tell them whatever you like.”
Amy is then seen backing away from the man as she makes good on her threat to call 911.
“There’s a man, an African-American, he’s recording and threatening me and my dog,” she is heard telling the cops.
She then raises her tone while on the phone with police as she pleaded for help to be sent as soon as possible.
And after viewers contacted Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue about the treatment of the pooch, the rescue center has since confirmed the dog has been returned.
In a post on Facebook, it said: “Our mission remains the health and safety of our rescued dogs. The dog is now in our rescue’s care and he is safe and in good health.”
The footage was shared online by Christian’s sister HBO director Melody Cooper and quickly went viral – earning Amy the moniker “Central Park Karen”.
Christian claimed in a Facebook post that he notified Amy of a sign that states dogs can’t be walked in the Rambles of Central Park from 9am to 9pm because it’s a protected wildlife area.
Christian claimed in his post, Amy reasoned that she went to the Rambles since the park’s dog runs are closed and her pet “needs his exercise”.
Speaking on NBC, he said: “‘If the habitat is destroyed we won’t be able to go there to see the birds, to enjoy the plantings.
“The only way they can keep the dog from eating the treat is to put it on a leash. At some point, she decided I’m gonna play the race card, I guess.”
The NYPD confirmed a call came at around 8am but no report was filed and no arrests were made after the incident on Monday.
