Charges Against 'Central Park Karen' Amy Cooper Dismissed: DA

CENTRAL PARK, NY – Criminal charges against Amy Cooper, the white woman who called the police on a Black birdwatcher in Central Park, were dropped Tuesday after she completed a restorative justice program, prosecutors announced.

Cooper, whose call to a 911 dispatcher last year in which she said a Black man was trying to assault her and her dog set off a national firestorm, completed five sessions of a "comprehensive, respectful program designed toward introspection and progress," prosecutors announced.

The program, which was set into place by Manhattan Justice Opportunities, was "designed not just to punish but to educate and promote community healing," Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi told a judge Tuesday morning, according to a news release.

Cooper, who was nicknamed "Central Park Karen" after the incident which took place May 25 2020, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of falsely reporting an incident. Cooper called 911 and reported that the Black man – identified at Christian Cooper (no relation) tried to assault her.

The claims, prosecutors said, were “objectively not true”. Christian Cooper did not wish to press charges, said prosecutors, who determined that Amy Cooper’s actions weren’t only a direct to one individual but a “threat to the community if allowed to go unchecked,” Illuzzi said Tuesday.

“The simple principle is that one cannot use the police to threaten another and in this case, in a racially offensive and charged manner,” Illuzzi said.

Prosecutors said last year that they chose to charge Cooper because "using the police in a way that was both racially offensive and designed to intimidate is something that cannot be ignored."

Video footage of the Memorial Day incident was shared widely after being posted to Facebook by Christian Cooper's sister. In the video, the birdwatcher remains calm as Amy Cooper frantically tells police that she is in danger.

At the beginning of the video, Christian Cooper asks Amy Cooper not to approach him and says, "please call the cops" and "tell them whatever you like" after her initial threat to do so.
"I'm in the Ramble and there's a man — African-American — he has a bicycle helmet. He's recording me and threatening me and my dog," Cooper can be heard telling a dispatcher. "I'm being threatened by a man in the Ramble, please send the cops immediately," she continues in a distressed voice.

The program in which Amy Cooper participated provided her with therapy sessions that focused on the way she could appreciate that racial identities shape our lives. But, Illuzzi said, the same concept can be harmful if used in the wrong manner.

Based on a report from Cooper’s therapist, it was determined that the program was successful, which led to the recommendation that charges be dropped, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Patch editor Nick Garber contributed to this report.