Christian Cooper’s compassion toward Amy Cooper is rooted in his conscience

Nine hours before George Floyd died under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, another incident was taking place in New York City’s Central Park. In the now infamous altercation between Amy Cooper, who refused to put a leash on her dog, and Christian Cooper (no relation), who calmly requested that she comply with the leash requirement, Ms. Cooper called the police. Mr. Cooper’s video of the encounter gave the world another glimpse of the kind of toxic racial bias that can cause a white person like Amy Cooper to suggest that a black man was threatening her life.

Amy Cooper not only lost her job and reputation for her odious actions, the Manhattan district attorney charged her with filing a false police report. It’s the follow-up behavior of Christian Cooper, however, that’s of special interest to me. Cooper, who is black, has made it clear that he’s not interested in aiding prosecutors. Not only does he fear Amy Cooper’s punishment might be incommensurate with her actual offense, he also believes that giving satisfaction to those eager for a sentence will only allow them to leave their own prejudices unexamined.

In a Washington Post op-ed, Cooper said this about his choice not to support the prosecution: “I must err on the side of compassion . . . I know that some people may disagree with my reasoning, and that this decision comes as a disappointment to many . . . but under the circumstances, it’s the only course I can pursue in good conscience” [emphasis mine].