White woman who called police on Black birdwatcher in Central Park sues former employer over her firing

NEW YORK – The white woman who lost her job after video surfaced of her calling 911 on a Black birdwatcher in Central Park is suing her former employer, alleging the company hastily fired her and made the decision based on her gender and race.

Amy Cooper, who had faced criminal charges of false reporting to police before prosecutors dismissed the case in February, said asset management firm Franklin Templeton did not perform an adequate investigation before firing her the day after video of the incident went viral.

Cooper was walking her dog in the Ramble, a section of Central Park that requires dogs be leashed, when Christian Cooper, a Black birdwatcher who is not related to Amy Cooper, asked her to leash her pet. 

As their exchange escalated on Memorial Day 2020, Amy Cooper called 911 and reported "an African American man … threatening myself and my dog." Christian Cooper, meanwhile, began filming Amy Cooper's actions.

The video posted to social media garnered millions of views that day. The incident occurred the same day George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who knelt on his neck and was convicted of murder last month.

Read More:  usatoday.com

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