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Central Park

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Birdwatcher on being racially targeted

Christian Cooper was birdwatching in New York's Central Park when he encountered a woman whose dog was loose. He says he politely asked her to leash the animal, but she became agitated. As he filmed her reaction, the woman called police and told them: "There is an African American man. I am in Central Park. He is recording me and threatening me and my dog." Cooper and his sister believe the woman was using Christian's race to get the police to respond.

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