Facebook/Christian Cooper
Amy Cooper — better known as Central Park “Karen” for making a false report against a Black man — is off the hook in her criminal case after getting some therapy.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has agreed to dismiss Cooper’s charge of falsely reporting an incident because she completed a program intended to address racial bias.
According to Assistant D.A. Joan Illuzzi … due to Cooper’s lack of a criminal background, she was offered an “alternative, restorative justice resolution; designed not just to punish but to educate and promote community healing.” It’s similar to a plea bargain.
Illuzzi says Cooper entered the program and completed 5 sessions, and her therapist reported it was a “moving experience” for Cooper and she learned a lot.
As you’ll recall … Cooper was filmed on May 25, 2020 by a birdwatcher in the park named Christian Cooper (no relation) calling the police on him and falsely claiming … “There’s an African-American man threatening my life.”
After their interaction went viral, Amy was fired from her job and briefly lost custody of her dog. Christian decided he did not want to cooperate with prosecutors, saying … “She’s already paid a steep price. That’s not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on.”
Despite that, the DA continued with the case, as Illuzzi says Amy’s offense “wasn’t solely against one individual but was a threat to the community if allowed to go unchecked.”