EXCLUSIVE - Central Park Karen has never apologized directly to the black man she called the cops on despite doing so 'well' in therapy that prosecutors dropped the charges against her
Amy Cooper, the woman known as Central Park Karen, has never apologized directly to the innocent black man she called the cops on last May despite 'learning lots' in therapy as part of a 'restorative justice program' in exchange for having the charged against her dropped.
Cooper, 41, called police on Christian Cooper last May 25 after he told her to put a leash on her dog. She became hysterical and phoned the police, claiming he was threatening her life. He filmed their exchange and put it on social media.
Cooper was fired from her Manhattan investment firm job, blasted as 'racist' by Mayor Bill de Blasio then was eventually charged with a Class A Misdemeanor or filing a false police report- a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 1 year and fines of up to $1,000.
That charge was dropped on Tuesday because she'd completed five therapy sessions where prosecutors said she seemed to have learned a 'lot'.
Last year, Amy issued an apology through the media to 'everyone...especially that man and his family'.
But Christian Cooper has revealed to DailyMail.com that she still has never been in touch with him to personally apologize for the incident.
He said he doesn't know how 'deep' her media apology was and that while he wants to help resolve racial tensions, he has no interest in her, the case or ever meeting her face to face again.
'As far as her reaching out, she hasn't. I don't necessarily have a stake or an interest in that except to the extent that it pushes things forward in this country in examining race issues and reconcile race issues.
'I don't have a stake in us getting together,' he said in a Zoom interview on Tuesday afternoon.
Christian Cooper, speaking on Tuesday via Zoom, said Amy hasn't been in touch with him since the May 25 incident. Amy Cooper was facing a maximum of one year in prison for falsely claiming he had threatened her life. Now, she must just complete a restorative justice program
'I'm very averse to the idea of the two of us having a face to face which is just a photo op, an opportunity for a media opportunity for a Jerry Springer, hair pulling fight or a feel good hug-it-out moment... not interested,' he said.
Cooper declined to cooperate with the prosecutor's office last year. He says he has always wanted instead to focus on the larger issue of race inequality in America.
After Amy issued her public apology, he accepted it but said he didn't know how sincere it was.
'I accepted her apology to the extent that it was offered, I accepted it. Why wouldn't I accept an apology?
'I don't know how deep the apology went, I don't know how much she reflected on what caused her to do what she did.
Cooper with her dog. She was fired from her investment banker job and was deemed racist by public figures including NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio
'But to the extent that she offered an apology I accepted it. My focus is not on her, my focus is on trying to fix things. Doing what we can to fix things going forward,' he said.
He added that the DA's office informed him of the status of their case a few months ago and that their decision to dropping the charges wasn't a surprise, but that he wasn't told it would happen as soon as Tuesday.
'They made contact with me a while ago. This has been their case. I left it to them and they pursued what they thought was necessary.
'Basically my interest is in not her or this case but moving forward and correcting the racial social injustices we have.
'Looking back to that case doesn't serve that issue. It's great that the case brought inherent bias to light for a lot of people who didn't realize that still happens in this country so that's good. It's great that it highlighted the fact that some people weaponize race and use it as a cudgel in certain circumstances.
'But in terms of getting things done, my focus is on fixing the racial injustices that we have now,' he said.
He is particularly eager to see a law pass the Senate that would make Washington DC a state rather than a district, and give the residents there their own representative in Congress.
Cooper said he is more concerned with resolving what can be fixed 'now' - like making Washington DC a state. He still lives in New York but has
'Talking about her and that incident doesn't necessarily bring us forward.
'What bring us forward is talking about the fact that there was an assumption in those actions that the police would come whistling down on my head with special vengeance because I am an African American man.
'So what does that tell you about policing and how do we fix it?' he said.
Amy Cooper's attorney told The New York Post on Tuesday afternoon that she'll 'tell her story' at some point this week.
Afterwards, he says he plans to hold a press conference.
Earlier in the day he suggested in a tweet that she was preparing to file legal action of her own, writing: 'Others rushed to the wrong conclusion based on inadequate investigation and they may yet face legal consequences.'
On Tuesday morning, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi revealed her office had decided to drop the charges because Amy had completed a 'restorative' alternative which included five therapy sessions.
The decision outraged many, including Christian Cooper's sister. She tweeted: 'A flock of Karens is a privilege.' Others said it was the very definition of Cooper's white privilege that the only punishment she received was five therapy sessions.
Christian Cooper posted on Facebook that he was 'far more outraged' by Congress than by anything 'Amy Cooper did'.
'I am far more outraged by the US Congress, which continues to deny the mostly Black and brown people of the District of Columbia statehood and the representation every American deserves, than by anything Amy Cooper did.
'That gross racial injustice could be fixed by Congress now, today, and that’s what people should be focused on—not last year’s events in Central Park,' he posted on Facebook.
ADA Iluzzi outlined that the case could have resulted in the cops tracking Christian down and arresting him had the pair not stayed at the park to speak to the police when they arrived.
'The simple principle is that one cannot use the police to threaten another and in this case, in a racially offensive and charged manner,' Illuzzi said.
However she said: 'Given the issues at hand and Ms. Cooper’s lack of criminal background, we offered her, consistent with our position on many misdemeanor cases involving a first arrest, an alternative, restorative justice resolution; designed not just to punish but to educate and promote community healing.'
She said Cooper completed a 'comprehensive, respectful program' at the Critical Therapy Center where she focused on 'the ways in which Ms. Cooper could appreciate that racial identities shape our lives but we cannot use them to harm ourselves or others.'
'Having completed 5 sessions, Ms. Cooper’s therapist reported that it was a moving experience and that Ms. Cooper learned a lot in their sessions together.
'The compliance report is attached, we are filing it with the court.
'Having completed the restorative justice program to our satisfaction, we now move to dismiss,' she said.
While the victim hasn't yet spoken out about the case being dropped, critics slammed the decision on Twitter and called Cooper's therapy punishment the 'whitest sentence ever'
Cooper's attorney threatened to sue people who 'rushed to the wrong conclusion' after the case was dropped
Cooper said he no longer wished to discuss the case against her and wants to focus instead on the larger issues at play like
Last year, after the incident went viral thanks to a video posted on social media, he accepted the public apology she made in the media.
'I do accept her apology. I think it’s a first step. I think she’s gotta do some reflection on what happened because up until the moment when she made that statement.
‘It was just a conflict between a birder and a dog walker, and then she took it to a very dark place.
'I think she’s gotta sort of examine why and how that happened.’
He declined to be part of the legal process against her.
Cooper's lawyer said in a statement on Tuesday: 'After a thorough & honest inquiry, the New York DA's office dismissed all charges today against #AmyCooper.
'We thank them for their integrity & concur w/ the outcome.'
He also threatened legal action against people who rushed to the wrong conclusion'.
Cooper worked at Franklin Templeton and was earning upwards of $170,000-a-year.
After the incident went viral last year, the company fired her, saying: 'Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately.'
Mayor Bill de Blasio was among those who condemned the incident. He called her racist.
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