Birdwatcher: Woman’s call to police was ‘definitely racist’

The black birdwatcher who filmed the viral video of a woman calling the police on Memorial Day after he complained about her unleashed dog said he appreciated her apology, but considers her act “definitely racist.”

Christian Cooper told CNN’s Don Lemon on Tuesday night that he thought the apology of Amy Cooper — who is not related to him — was sincere.

“I’m not sure that in that apology she recognizes that while she may not be or consider herself a racist, that particular act was definitely racist,” Christian Cooper said.

”And the fact that that was her recourse at that moment — granted, it was a stressful situation, a sudden situation —  you know, maybe a moment of spectacularly poor judgment. But she went there and had this racist act that she did,” he continued.

He added that he can’t answer whether Amy Cooper herself is a racist.

“Only she can answer that,” he elaborated. “And I would submit probably the only way she’s going to answer that is going forward. How she conducts herself and, you know, how she chooses to reflect on this situation and examine it.”

Christian Cooper said he has received an influx of messages and condemned those sending “abhorrent” threats to Amy Cooper. 

“I am told there has been death threats, and that is wholly inappropriate and abhorrent and should stop immediately,” Christian Cooper said.

“I find it strange that people who were upset that … that she tried to bring death by cop down on my head, would then turn around and try to put death threats on her head. Where is the logic in that? Where does that make any kind of sense?” he asked.

Christian Cooper, an avid bird-watcher, says he condemns “abhorrent” death threats targeting the woman, who called the police on him during an encounter involving her unleashed dog.

“[It] should stop immediately,” Cooper says. https://t.co/adONjechM6 pic.twitter.com/zSAFWpTpxz

— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) May 27, 2020

Amy Cooper apologized for the altercation in a statement to CNN on Monday night and insisted that she did not mean to harm the African American community.

“I’m not a racist. I did not mean to harm that man in any way,” she said, adding that she was scared because she was alone in a wooded area.

She told CNN that since the video was posted her “entire life is being destroyed right now.”

Christian Cooper’s recording of the incident went viral, making headlines across the country and garnering more than 40 million views on Twitter.

Amy Cooper faced widespread condemnation for calling 911 on the African American man without provocation, with many social media users calling for her to face charges for making a false police report.

In the aftermath of the video, Amy Cooper was fired from her job at investment firm Franklin Templeton.

“We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton,” the firm wrote on Twitter.

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.

— Franklin Templeton (@FTI_US) May 26, 2020

She also voluntarily returned her dog to the animal shelter where she adopted it after the clip, which showed the dog yelping and struggling while she was on the phone, caused public outrage. 

Christian Cooper, an avid birdwatcher, on Monday went to the wooded area of New York City’s Central Park known as the Ramble.

He said he saw Amy Cooper’s dog running around the area without a leash, even though one is required in the area.

Christian Cooper said he tried to toss a dog treat to the pooch when she refused to put a leash on it and began recording the altercation as Amy Cooper said she would call the police.

“I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life,” she can be heard saying in the video.

“Please tell them whatever you’d like,” he responded.

Amy Cooper appears to call 911 and becomes more frantic, despite Christian Cooper being several feet away and not moving any closer to her.

“He is recording me and threatening myself and my dog,” she says while holding onto her dog’s collar.

Despite the physical actions of the dog’s owner in the video, Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue Inc. said in a statement that the dog, Henry, is “safe and in good health.”