Woman fired after backlash from racist park confrontation

By TOM HAYS and RYAN KRYSKA Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A video of a verbal dispute between a white woman walking her dog off a leash and a black man bird watching in Central Park is sparking accusations of racism. The cell phone recording by birdwatcher Christian Cooper shows Amy Cooper calling police to frantically report she was being threatened by “an African-American man.” The confrontation happened early Monday morning when Christian Cooper said he noticed Amy Cooper had let her dog off its leash against the rules in the Ramble, a secluded section of Central Park popular with birdwatchers. The widely watched video posted on social media resulted in an announcement by Amy Cooper’s employers on Tuesday that they were firing her despite her public plea for forgiveness.