The case against Amy Cooper, a woman who called the police to accuse a black man of threatening her and her dog in New York City’s Central Park, has been dismissed after the completion of racial equity therapy sessions, CBSN reported.
Amy Cooper was caught on camera by Christian Cooper in Central Park with an unleashed dog in May. The situation escalated after he asked her to keep her dog on a leash, and when he wouldn’t stop recording her she threatened to call the police and tell them “there’s an African-American man threatening my life.”
The two are not related.
While speaking with New York Police Department dispatch, Amy reportedly specified the man’s race twice and claimed he had threatened her and her dog’s safety. Amy was charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor.
The charge was dismissed Tuesday after Amy did five therapy sessions focusing on racial equity with Manhattan Justice Opportunities, which is a program that aims to reduce incarceration and criminal convictions for people charged with low-level offenses and felonies. (RELATED: New York Woman Who Called Police On Black Man While Walking Dog In Viral Video Hit With Misdemeanor)
The case is now sealed, according to CBSN.
#BREAKING NEWS: The case against Amy Cooper, a white woman seen in a viral Central Park confrontation making a false accusation against a Black man, has been dismissed after she completed five therapy sessions. https://t.co/vuYGyOwBrz
— KDKA (@KDKA) February 16, 2021
“Given the issues at hand and Ms. Cooper’s lack of criminal background, we offered her, consistent with our position on many misdemeanor cases involving a first arrest, an alternative, restorative justice resolution; designed not just to punish but to educate and promote community healing,” Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi said, according to CBSN.
“Manhattan Justice Opportunities answered the call to assist. They engaged Ms. Cooper in a comprehensive, respectful program designed towards introspection and progress.”
Illuzzi previously told the court that the Manhattan District Attorney’s office was exploring a resolution that would require Amy to publicly take responsibility for her actions in court and attend a program where she would learn how harmful they were.
Christian did not support the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance’s decision to charge Amy, and said that the consequences and public backlash she had faced because of the wide circulation of the incident was already enough.
“Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on,” Christian said in July, according to The New York Times.
Amy was reportedly fired by her employer Franklin Templeton Investments following the incident. Her dog, who appeared to be pulled roughly around by the collar in the video, was voluntarily given back to the rescue shelter from which he was adopted.