A white woman who called 911 on a Black man for asking her to leash her dog has apologized for her insensitivity and poor impulse control.
Amy Cooper, who was dubbed “Karen” on Twitter.com, told CNN she wanted to apologize to “everyone” who was offended by her actions.
According to Urbandictionary.com, “Karen” is a pejorative term, similar to “Becky”, that expresses contempt or disapproval of white women who fit a pattern of socially disagreeable behavior.
“I’m not racist,” she said. “I did not mean to harm that man in any way.”
Amy Cooper said she was walking her dog between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Monday in an area of NY’s Central Park called The Ramble, when she encountered Christian Cooper (no relation), who asked her to leash her dog.
Central Park policy requires dogs to be leashed at all times. But Amy took offense at Christian’s demands and she called 911 to report she felt threatened.
Christian recorded the encounter because things tend to go left whenever the police get involved.
Oh, when Karens take a walk with their dogs off leash in the famous Bramble in NY’s Central Park, where it is clearly posted on signs that dogs MUST be leashed at all times, and someone like my brother (an avid birder) politely asks her to put her dog on the leash. pic.twitter.com/3YnzuATsDm
— Melody Cooper (@melodyMcooper) May 25, 2020
By the time police arrived on the scene, both Coopers and the dog were gone. But Christian’s video went viral on social media, sparking outrage.
Amy Cooper lost her job and gave up her dog amid the chaos. She told CNN her entire life is destroyed.
“I think I was just scared,” Amy told CNN. “When you’re alone in the Ramble, you don’t know what’s happening. It’s not excusable, it’s not defensible.”
When asked if he’d accept her apology, Christian told CNN he would “if it’s genuine and if she plans on keeping her dog on a leash in the Ramble going forward, then we have no issues with each other.”
