'Central Park Karen,' Amy Cooper, faces NYC Human Rights Commission investigation

The New York City Commission on Human Rights is investigating the white woman walking her dog in New York City who called police to report she was being threatened by “an African-American man.”.

“At a time when the devastating impacts of racism in Black communities have been made so painfully clear — from racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes, to harassment of essential workers on the frontlines — it is appalling to see these types of ugly threats directed at one New Yorker by another,” said Sapna Raj, deputy commissioner of the Law Enforcement Bureau at the Commission on Human Rights.

The verbal dispute between Amy Cooper, who has been fired by investment firm Franklin Templeton, and a black man bird watching in Central Park might normally have gone unnoticed in a city preoccupied by the coronavirus pandemic.

That changed when birdwatcher Christian Cooper pulled out his phone and captured Amy Cooper, who the Internet has nicknamed “Central Park Karen,” calling police to report she was being threatened by “an African-American man.” The widely watched video — posted on Facebook by Christian Cooper and on Twitter by his sister — has sparked accusations of racism.

Cooper to cooperate with the Commission and meaningfully engage in a process to address the harm that she has caused,” Raj added in a statement.

The Commission on Human Rights has asked Amy Cooper for her full cooperation.

The confrontation began early Monday morning when Christian Cooper said he noticed Amy Cooper had let her cocker spaniel off its leash against the rules in the Ramble, a secluded section of Central Park popular with birdwatchers.