A viral “Karen” video of a white woman calling the police after an African-American man asked her to leash her dog in Central Park Monday morning has resulted in the woman being placed on administrative leave, a public apology, and more details emerging about what led up to the racially charged phone call, including what the woman interpreted as a threat, and its fallout.
The viral video was taken by Christian Cooper, the African-American bird-watching enthusiast who asked the woman, Amy Cooper (no relation), to leash her dog according to park rules. In the video, Amy, who grows increasingly more panicked over the course of its filming, first warns Christian that she is going to call the police to tell them that “there’s an African-American man threatening my life.” She then calls the police and says, “There is an African-American man. I am in Central Park. He is recording me and threatening myself and my dog.”
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