Another year, another reminder that white privilege still exists in America.
Amy Cooper, the infamous dog owner who used her white fragility to terrorize a Black man bird-watching in New York’s Central Park last year, had her misdemeanor charge dismissed on Tuesday by the Manhattan District Attorney after completing some classes on racial equity. She had been charged with falsely reporting an incident to police after she’d been caught lying on camera to a 911 operator that Christian Cooper, a Black, gay bird watcher who isn’t related to her, threatened her and her dog in Central Park.
Although Christian Cooper declined to press charges, the District Attorney’s office had gone ahead with their case against Amy Cooper because they found her actions to not be just about him but also “a threat to the community if allowed to go unchecked.” But then it let the threat that Cooper was far from the first white woman to make once again go unchecked.