Cancel culture has done a lot of good in the past couple of years as more people and businesses have become more conscious of their words and actions.
However, as with everything that exists on Earth, it is not without its shortcomings. For example, it largely depends on viral news, which takes some time to get fact-checked.
This means when a piece of news goes viral, we may not hear the whole story. This is precisely what Amy Cooper wants people to realize by telling her side of what really happened on the day she was tagged the “Central Park Karen.”
She Still Receives Hate Mails
Even though Cooper’s case happened about three years ago, her life has not returned to normal.
Far from it. Because her personal information was leaked, she has had to leave her former home and environment to go into hiding. Even today, she claims to receive hate mail and texts still asking her to “slit” her wrists.
The Story People Heard
In 2020, news of Amy Cooper’s altercation with a black man named Christian Cooper in a secluded area of Central Park.
It ended with him filming her reporting him to the police, clearly distressed. The narrative was that she was racist and had been trying to get Christian Cooper arrested for no credible reason. She says this was far from the truth.
What Really Happened
On May 25, 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was in its infancy, Amy Cooper, a proud mom dog whose life revolves around her pet, took her dog for a walk.
She took the dog by Central Park that morning. According to her, these were hours when dogs were allowed to roam off-leash. It was all fine until she chose to take an unfamiliar route.
The Infamous Altercation That Changed Her Life
Amy’s unfamiliar route led her to “the Ramble,” a secluded area of Central Park. She had been there for only a few moments when she heard a voice cry out:
It said: “Get out of here. You shouldn’t be here.” Locating the source of the voice, Amy saw Christian, who started yelling at her, telling her the dog should be on his leash.
The Mobile Witness
As things escalated, Christian Cooper decided to use his phone as a mobile witness. But before doing so, he yelled:
“If you’re going to do what you want, I’m going to do what I want, but you’re not going to like it.” These are words the man himself admitted to saying the same day on Facebook.
Amy Knew Fear
As a female who was alone with a man yelling at her in a secluded area, Amy was afraid. It didn’t help matters either that she was a victim of sexual assault.
Then suddenly she realized the big scary man, who did not have a dog, was trying to lure in her dog with a treat he shouldn’t have. It set off her internal alarms.
Mama Bear Reared Its Head
Stories of poisoned dogs quickly flowed through her mind, and she also became scared for her dog.
Her maternal instincts kicked in, and she immediately moved to keep her pet far away from Christian, afraid he would hurt the animal.
Christian Taunted Her to Call the Cops
Scared and vulnerable, Amy resorted to using a threat she thought would dissuade Christian from pursuing the matter further.
However, he just taunted her, causing her to make good on her threat. Unfortunately, there was bad reception, and she had to describe him to the dispatch several times. Christian caught her on camera doing this.
An Unreported Fact
Amy believes that the news that day deliberately left out that she only repeated her description of Christian because of terrible service in the park.
She says there was a 911 tape that clearly shows there was spotty service. However, it was never reported, effectively skewing the perception of her actions and making it seem like she was reporting him for being black.
Christian Boasted About It on Facebook
According to Amy Cooper, she never made any racial statements. She had only been afraid because Christian seemed like a potentially violent man in that park.
Later the same day, he took to Facebook to describe how he instigated the altercation and revealed that he does keep a bag of dog treats to lure in off-leash dogs.
Christian Has Done It to Other Dog Owners
Amy was not the first or only person Christian Cooper had threatened in Central Park.
Another victim was Jerome Lockett, who reportedly confessed to getting aggressively threatened by Christian, who also tried to lure in his dog. Including Jerome, two fellow dog owners have gotten the same treatment from Christian.
Why They Have Not Come Forward
Amy says the witnesses don’t want to come forward because they are white, while Christian is Black. She claims they have a valid fear of being canceled like she was.
This is understandable. Cancel culture can be merciless. Amy has had to deal with general public backlash, a job loss, and lots of hate mail, which she says still continues.
Her Apology Was Not Enough
In an attempt to stop the hate comments and death threats, Amy issued a public apology, but nothing changed.
It has been three years since it happened, and she still lives in hiding without adequate employment. It has left her with suicidal thoughts.
She Has Tried to Contact Christian
Amy says she has attempted to reach Christian Cooper in hopes they could have a productive discussion. However, she has never heard back.
She wants him to know that the option of dialogue is always on the table and has accepted that while she did not do everything right, not all her actions were wrong.