US: Woman who called cops on a black man in Central Park has been fired

What seemed like a normal brawl between two individuals reignited a national debate after things took a racial turn. It all started on May 25, when Christian Cooper, a man of African-American descent was bird watching in a patch of dense tree and shrubs, where signs say that dogs must be leashed, in Central Park, New York. As he continued, a white woman reportedly appeared with her exuberant dog.

Upon confrontation by Cooper, she reportedly asserted that she would call the police and tell them that an African-American man was “threatening” her life. As she became more agitated, Cooper remained calm and recorded a video of the incident. The clip was later posted on Twitter, by his sister Melody Cooper and since then has taken the internet by storm with nearly 39 thousand views.

'Sign is right there'

It was later that Christian Cooper described the beginning of the encounter, which was not recorded. Taking to Facebook, he wrote that he saw the dog “tearing through the plantings” and told the owner that dogs should be leashed at all times, pointing that the "sign was right there". After an exchange of remarks, he began recording. According to reports, police officers attended the call but said no summonses or arrests were made over what the New York police department called “a verbal dispute”.

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Speaking to an American media outlet later, Cooper highlighted racism saying that he does not think there was even a single African American in the US who hadn’t "experienced something like this". According to reports, Cooper is 57-year-old science editor. He also added that he often confronts ‘scofflaw’, a local term for lawbreakers. Following the incident, the woman, who was identified as Amy Cooper, was first sent on administrative leave and then eventually sacked by the investment firm Franklin Templeton, she worked for.

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