The Bird Watcher, That Incident and His Conflicted Feelings on Her Fate

[demmiblue]

Christian Cooper is already back birding at Central Park. “I’m not excusing the racism,” he said. “But I don’t know if her life needed to be torn apart.”



His binoculars around his neck, Christian Cooper, an avid birder, was back in his happy place on Wednesday: Central Park during migration season. He was trying to focus on the olive-sided flycatchers and red-bellied woodpeckers — not on what had happened there two days earlier.

That was when Mr. Cooper, who is black, asked a white woman to put her dog on a leash. When she did not, he began filming. In response, the woman dialed 911, falsely claiming “an African-American man is threatening my life.”

On Tuesday, the video went viral on Twitter and garnered over 40 million views, setting off a painful discourse about the history of dangerous false accusations against black people made to police.

The birds were a welcome distraction from thinking about what had happened next: By that day’s end, the woman, Amy Cooper (no relation) had surrendered her dog and had been fired from her high-level finance job. As he wandered the park’s North Woods on Wednesday shortly after dawn, he said he felt exhausted, exposed and profoundly conflicted, particularly about Ms. Cooper’s fate.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/nyregion/amy-cooper-christian-central-park-video.html

[FM123]

1. Yes, his conflicted feelings are quite apparent.

“Sadly, it has to come at her expense,” he added.

He obviously has a very kind and compassionate heart to even feel this way...

[Cirque du So-What]

2. I vote 'yes' on the tearing apart life question

She was trying her damndest to bring down what could have been a summary execution that relied on race to get carried out. Her own words and demeanor are proof of her intent.

I wish nothing but misfortune upon her - the more publicly documented, the better. Let her serve as a cautionary tale for those who would invoke race to bring down the wrath of the criminal 'justice' system upon others. It must happen more frequently for hardheaded people to start getting the message that their actions have consequences.

[FoxNewsSucks]

5. Exactly right.

She knew exactly how her call would sound to a dispatcher that couldn't see what was going on, and what the responding cops would be predisposed to think they would encounter.

I think she's a rotten person and did it deliberately

[Nay]

3. You, good sir, are a true gentleman. Unfortunately, there are many more people like Ms Cooper

who have been emboldened in recent times. Maybe her comeuppance will cause other racists to be more circumspect, saving the sanity and possibly even the lives of other innocent POC.

[MuseRider]

4. Nice man

but I wonder if he thinks a little more about what could have happened. She could have been ready to shoot, those who get angry about this may take it to that step. If she had called him a name and moved on it would be different but she tried to get him in big big trouble just because she could not or would not follow the rules.

Personally I think she got what she deserved, maybe not enough, probably not enough. Compare it to the man who was "suspected" of a forgery. Difference was she DID break the rules and is white. He was suspected and black. She lost her dog and her job for being a horrible person. He is dead.

[catrose]

6. I admire his compassion

But no rescue organization would leave a pet in an adopter's care after seeing what she did to it.

And few companies, even if staffed with people who agree with her, would want her to be their public face. Sadly for her, she'll have trouble finding another company that wants her, I'd think.

So I'm not sure what could have happened differently after she put this whole thing in motion, you know, trying to get him killed.

[demmiblue]

7. 'That particular act was definitely racist' -- Christian Cooper, the Black birdwatcher who was...

Link to tweet

[Marcuse]

8. He could have ended up like George Floyd, Eric Garner et al.