Christian Cooper, Central Park Birder, Owes Us Nothing
Let’s stop guilt-tripping him like he’s let us down.
It came to light recently that Christian Cooper, the Black man who a white woman called 911 on, has “chosen not to aid” the prosecution by the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
The woman, Amy Cooper (no relation), is charged with a misdemeanor for filing a false report that an “African-American man,” as she repeatedly emphasized to the 911 dispatcher, was “threatening” her.
Christian Cooper appears to decline further involvement in the case. The New York Times reported him saying Amy Cooper has “already paid a steep price.” He has since detailed in an opinion piece for The Washington Post his reasoning against what he calls a “mistake to focus on this one individual.”
Netizens were predictably disappointed, fearing that the case will thus be doomed.
Some were outraged, calling his stance an “insult to any Black person who faced the same situation,” as one user scolded under the video Mr. Cooper captured.
I do not envy Christian Cooper for the 47,000 (and counting) comments that have collected under his video, mob justice against his oppressor and himself alike.
