Texas Senator Calls For Arrest Of Central Park 'Karen' For Making False Report
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - State Sen. Royce West is calling for the arrest of Amy Cooper, a woman walking her dog in New York's Central Park who threatened to have an African American man arrested after falsely claiming he threatened her life.
"Making a false police report is illegal in New York as it is in Texas and many other states. This type of conduct must be addressed," said the democratic senator.
The incident, which occurred last week, happened after Christian Cooper, an African American man who was bird-watching, alerted Cooper she was walking her dog off-leash in an area of the park that did not allow for off-leash walking. The woman then called police and claimed a black man was threatening her life.
He posted the exchange on his Facebook page.
Central Park this morning: This woman's dog is tearing through the plantings in the Ramble. ME: Ma'am, dogs in the Ramble have to be on the leash at all times. The sign is right there. HER: The dog runs are closed. He needs his exercise. ME: All you have to do is take him to the other side of the drive, outside the Ramble, and you can let him run off leash all you want. HER: It's too dangerous. ME: Look, if you're going to do what you want, I'm going to do what I want, but you're not going to like it. HER: What's that? ME (to the dog): Come here, puppy! HER: He won't come to you. ME: We'll see about that... I pull out the dog treats I carry for just for such intransigence. I didn't even get a chance to toss any treats to the pooch before Karen scrambled to grab the dog. HER: DON'T YOU TOUCH MY DOG!!!!! That's when I started video recording with my iPhone, and when her inner Karen fully emerged and took a dark turn...
Posted by Christian Cooper on Monday, May 25, 2020
Although neither party was present when police arrived, the video of Cooper claiming she was calling the police has gone viral on social media.
"This type of conduct is what creates an atmosphere that can result in African Americans being falsely arrested, shot, or killed by police. People who attempt to weaponize the police against African Americans and other minorities must be held accountable," said West.
West said he's aware that Cooper has apologized (she has also been place on leave from the investment company where she works), but still believes she should be held accountable.
"We need more than a slap on the wrist here to deter this from happening again. This woman displayed explicit bias in claiming an African American man was causing her to fear for her life," West continued. "She wasted police time on racist garbage because she didn't want to leash her dog. The New York penal code should be used here to its fullest extent," West said.
West is a candidate for U.S. Senate in the July 14 Democratic Primary Runoff.