Victim Won't Cooperate in Case Against Amy Cooper

Christian Cooper says she doesn't need 'more misery'
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 8, 2020 8:23 AM CDT
Victim Won't Cooperate in Case Against Amy Cooper
This file image made from May 25, 2020 video provided by Christian Cooper, shows Amy Cooper with her dog talking to Christian Cooper in Central Park in New York.   (Christian Cooper via AP, File)

Amy Cooper may be charged with filing a false police report as a result of his video, but Christian Cooper is not necessarily on board. The member of the New York City Audubon Society board of directors again suggests the white woman who called police on May 25 to report an "African-American man" threatening her in Central Park—though Christian Cooper had only asked her to leash her dog—has already suffered enough in losing her job and being publicly shamed. "That's not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on," he tells the New York Times. "If the DA feels the need to pursue charges, he should pursue charges," he adds. "But he can do that without me." It's unclear what effect his non-cooperation might have on the case.

The decision to charge Amy Cooper has been met with mixed reactions among the Black community. Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, a constitutional law professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, suggests it's a necessary step as there might've been dire consequences. But others side with Christian Cooper. Josie Duffy Rice, president of nonprofit journalism site The Appeal, argues the charge only legitimizes a flawed criminal justice system, where incarceration is seen as the only appropriate response to wrongdoing, per the Times. "Public shaming, lost employment, denied benefits & now prison time for a mis-perceived, momentary alleged 'wrong think'? … This criminalized, cancel culture is cancerous & precarious," Amy Cooper’s attorney tells CNN, noting she will fight the charge. (More false accusations stories.)

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