Finance firm fires Central Park ‘Karen’ for calling cops on black man: ‘We do not tolerate racism’
The white woman who called police on a black man in Central Park after he simply asked her to leash her dog has been set loose from her finance job.
Amy Cooper was fired Tuesday, Franklin Templeton confirmed.
“Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton,” the company said in a statement.
Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton.
— Franklin Templeton (@FTI_US) May 26, 2020
Cooper was a vice president at the firm, according to her now-decommissioned LinkedIn profile.
“Amy M. Cooper leads the insurance portfolio management and strategy business at Franklin Templeton," her profile previously said.
Her expertise was in “insurance accounting and regulatory issues, asset liability management and strategic asset allocation,” it said.
Cooper shot to prominence Monday after Christian Cooper filmed her on his phone as she placed the 911 call with her cocker spaniel Henry thrashing to free himself from her painful grip on his collar.
Oh, when Karens take a walk with their dogs off leash in the famous Bramble in NY’s Central Park, where it is clearly posted on signs that dogs MUST be leashed at all times, and someone like my brother (an avid birder) politely asks her to put her dog on the leash. pic.twitter.com/3YnzuATsDm
— Melody Cooper (@melodyMcooper) May 25, 2020
Christian Cooper, an avid birder, had asked Amy to leash Henry. When she refused, he began to offer the dog a treat, hoping it would cause her to reconsider, he later explained.
Amy Cooper responded by threatening to call police.
“I’m going to tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life,” she says as she starts to dial.
“I’m in the Ramble, and there’s a man, African American,” she states, her voice rising with hysteria.
“I’m being threatened,” she starts to scream. “Please send the cops immediately!”
She then clasps the leash on her dog’s collar. That’s the exact moment Christian Cooper says, “Thank you,” and the video ends.
Posted online Monday by Christian and his sister Melody, the video had more than 30 million views on Twitter and 22,000 comments on Facebook by Tuesday afternoon.
Amy Cooper has since issued a public apology, but she also whined to CNN that her “entire life is being destroyed right now.”
She did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily News on Tuesday.
Staff at her building on the Upper West Side said she was hunkered down at the luxury property and wouldn’t be speaking to the media assembled outside.
