Christian Cooper, the Black birdwatcher who filmed a white woman calling the police on him to falsely report a threat to her life in May, is declining to cooperate with the police against her, The New York Times reports. The woman, Amy Cooper (no relation), is charged with filing a false police report for telling the police that the Black man was threatening her life. Video shows her claim to be untrue. Christian Cooper told the Times on Tuesday, “On the one hand, she’s already paid a steep price. That’s not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on...If the DA feels the need to pursue charges, he should pursue charges. But he can do that without me.” Christian Cooper previously said he was “uncomfortable” with the public backlash against Amy Cooper’s actions and the loss of her job as a result. She also held her dog’s leash so tightly in the video of the encounter that authorities evaluated the animal for signs of abuse, though they found none.
