"Central Park Karen" Amy Cooper's Charges Dismissed After Completing Therapy Sessions

Last May, Amy Cooper became a global trending topic after she was captured on camera harassing a man, Christian Cooper (no relation), who was out birdwatching in Central Park. Because unleashed pets can pose a problem for wildlife in the area, Christian asked Amy, who was out walking her dog, to place her pup on a leash. She refused and not only became irate with Christian but called the police and faked distress as she told dispatch that she was being threatened by a Black man in the park.

This occurred during the thick of the Black Lives Matter protests last year, causing the public to attack Amy for potentially someone's life in danger with the police just because she didn't want to leash her animal. Soon, she was fired from her job, her dog was taken back to the adoption agency she received it from, and Amy was bombarded with death threats. Christian Cooper even came to her defense to call off the vicious backlash and Amy was hit with a charge of falsifying a police report in the third degree.

On Tuesday (February 16), multiple reports surfaced stating that Amy Cooper would not be prosecuted because the charges against her were dismissed. According to the New York Post, a judge tossed the case after Amy completed five therapy sessions at the Critical Therapy Center in Manhattan “designed for introspection and progress," claimed Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon.

It was previously reported that Christian refused to cooperate with prosecutors following Amy's public ridicule. “Psychoeducation about racial equity is woven into each therapy session to prompt understanding and reflection,” Illuzzi-Orbon said. “Ms. Cooper’s therapist reported that it was a moving experience and that Ms. Cooper learned a lot in their sessions together."

Many have complained that Amy Cooper's case is an example of White privilege. Check out a few reactions below.

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