What do you think of this video of the dog walker in Central Park who goes off on the African American man?

I mean, I don’t like being confronted by strangers, and the few times it’s happened I’ve reacted pretty negatively and angrily. This guy went up to this woman and told her to leash her dog and when she didn’t, he threatened to bring out dog treats to coerce her to do it to stop her dog from snacking. And apparently this is part of a larger issue of the conflict between bird-watchers and dog-walkers in Central Park. I remember being told to get off a bike-path once because I was walking on it (as if both can’t use it) and I said “do something about it, asshole”. I might’ve reacted similarly to this guy.

Obviously after she’s been confronted she starts having a bit of a meltdown and calls the police, which seemed like an unnecessary escalation, but they both got themselves into this situation. I’m sure the media wants to jump on this as an example of a “racist Karen” but I think it’s more complicated than that.

I disagree with @Demosthenes. She brought up the whole “I am calling the police to say an African American man is threatening me”.

And I though t it was nice that he brings dog treats to distract the doggies.

Her “apology” was hollow, after her employer suspended her and sorry for causing problems, but never stating that what she did was wrong.

First, why is she choking the dog?
Second, how is he threatening her or the dog? Did I miss that part?
Third, if indeed she had the dog off-leash, isn’t there a number to call for animal control rather than the police? Does no one monitor dog parks there, like a lifeguard at pools?
And the most disturbing part is that she apparently has white privelage (aka Karen vibes) accusing a person of color of threatening is not okay.

We only have a few here and I don’t choose to have my dogs around other unknown animals and owners, for reasons like this video shows. So my experience is very limited with the rules.

@zenvelo Yeah, reading about more I see she does mention that he’s “African American” multiple times, which is a problem. Makes it seem like she might not have called the police had he been white (in which case I still would’ve considered it an overreaction, but blamed both for causing this situation). That’s hard to know, though.

Two thoughts: One, I believe it is legal to film (video) or photograph people in public. People may not like it and it can be perceived as creepy, but as far as I know, it’s legal.

Two, I am not a dog owner but I understand not wanting a stranger to give the dog food.

I’m not saying her meltdown is justified because he offered her dog a treat.

Just two thoughts.

I just saw a headline that she was fired. I know this morning the news said she was put on administrative leave. Haven’t googled about the firing, or if they’re mistaking firing with administrative leave.

In my opinion, she looked like a total lunatic and will have big regrets about this meltdown for decades to come.

@jca2 And gave the dog back to the rescue. Yikes.

She is a horrible person. She could have got that man killed. She knew exactly what she was doing by repeatedly calling him an African-American man. to the police and acting hysterical. He never threatened her. If she was so threatened, why did she try to approach him? He also didn’t threaten her dog.

I just googled about her firing and found this, 5 facts about her.

https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/amy-cooper-video-new-york/

@jca2 Honestly I was more upset about the racism than the dog, but your link shows that she may be one of those munchausen by proxy sicko’s with a dog instead of a child. Wow, mind blown.

My thoughts exactly, @KNOWITALL! I feel bad for the dog, actually, because the dog probably liked living with her, after being in rescue, and now the dog has to get used to a new owner and new routine.

Seeing what her position was at Franklin Templeton, I am guessing she made at least 200k. I was thinking if I were her, I’d sell my condo or co-op (presuming she owns real estate in NYC), and move away to PA or someplace remote, living off the profits from the sale of the unit, since she won’t have any income. My guess is that nobody will hire her now.

@jca2 I agree. It said their website crashed, too.
No one wants to be associated with a dog-abusing racist. Even Trump wouldn’t want her vote…haha!

I wanted to climb into the vid & slap her tits for the way she rags that poor dog by the collar.
Awful human!

I watched it with the sound off. The horrible way she treated that dog on camera tells me enough about her character. Even if she was legitimately provoked, that behavior is indefensible.

A firing well deserved.

Today there’s this. Total lunacy. https://thegailygrind.com/2020/05/25/play-american-music-woman-berates-hispanic-family-for-playing-mexican-music-in-public-park/

@jca2 “I guess Mexican music is only allowed on Taco Tuesday for Karen” Lmao!

I want to park in front of that woman’s house and blare Tibetan chanting.

It no wonder why its a good idea to film uncomfortable situations, especially if your alone, anyone can say and do anything at anytime, if their are no witness then get your phone out, she made herself look bad with her over dramatic acting, calling the cops and lying to them and choking her poor dog. This will be something she’ll never live down…

Some people are suggesting that she felt “threatened.” I call bull. She made no attempt to leave and, instead, provoked the man.

I think both of these people are screwed up. Overall, I think she is a complete tool and trying to turn it into a race issue is pretty sad. But let’s get the whole story. There was a whole lot more that led up to the video that went viral. To start with, he approached her, not her approaching him. He told her she needed to move where she was walking her dog. Okay…why is he so concerned? It seems odd. Then, when she tells him it’s too dangerous where he wants her to go, he responds with “Look, if you’re going to do what you want, I’m going to do what I want, but you’re not going to like it.”. So let’s review: a complete stranger approaches a woman and starts getting into her business. Then, when she doesn’t do what he wants, he tells her that if she does what she wants, he’s going to do what he wants and she’s not going to like it. Kinda creepy. So she asks what that might be and he starts calling the dog. She grabs the dog and tells him to stay away from her dog. He then pulls out dog treats he carries to try tempting the dog. He specifically carries dog treats to harass dog owners who don’t leash their dogs when he thinks they should. Enter the video.
So there is a lot more to this story. Yeah, she’s a tool. But he is creepy. He purposely carries dog treats to harass dog owners who refuse to leash their dogs when he tells them to. He confronted her, not vice versa. He says things that really do sound threatening.
Overall, I think they are both horrible people.

@seawulf575 The version I heard is that she was letting her dog run off leash. There was another run just over the way, which he told her about, in hopes she’d leash or use the run to secure her animal. She chose not to do so.

I’ll be honest, I have a real problem with off leash dogs. Depending on the circumstances, I may have said something, too.

The treat thing was a little weird, but I think he was showing her how easily someone could tempt the dog while off-leash. Just my thoughts, and I agree both took things too far, but the racism and choking out the dog far outweighs his creepiness to me.

@seawulf575 “He purposely carries dog treats to harass dog owners who refuse to leash their dogs when he tells them to.”

Correction: when the park’s rules tell them to. If you’re going to bring your dog to an area where leashing is required then have your dog on a fucking leash.

(Yes, people – the rules apply to you too.)

The latest I just heard on the NYC evening news is that the city is looking into charging her with a hate crime and the park, Central Park, is considering banning her from the park.

If she is not charged with a crime, if I were her, I’d pack up and move away to another state.

It’s good she gave the dog up because if she had him, she’d have to walk him and it might be dangerous for her. I do feel bad that the dog is probably confused, though. Even though she practically choked him, he probably enjoyed their life together.

@jca2 She’s a psycho. The dog has had multiple injury accidents in her care that are documented and added together, I think she’s a dog abusing monster.

Good point, @KNOWITALL. I forgot about the injuries which were in the link I posted.

@jca2 Videos of abuse trigger me so I try not to watch.

@KNOWITALL I am certainly not supporting this twit. Letting her dog off leash in the wooded area is, to me, the least of her foolishness. The way she handled the dog tells me she has no consideration at all for others…it’s all about her. Trying to make the entire thing a racial thing is about as idiotic as can be. I’ve said that about most people that claim racism is an issue on every topic.
But let’s be honest…she didn’t know him from Adam. He is a complete stranger that is coming on pretty strong. He is carrying dog treats which he is going to give to the dog after telling the woman he’s going to do what he needs to do and she won’t like it. How does she know it isn’t poison? And by his own admission, he carries these treats for just this sort of occasion which means he purposely goes around harassing others. That is creepy.

@seawulf Agreed, but I’d like to hear his unedited version start to finish.

@Darth_Algar Let me give you a bit more of his exact words:
” Look, if you’re going to do what you want, I’m going to do what I want, but you’re not going to like it.

HER: What’s that?

ME (to the dog): Come here, puppy!

HER: He won’t come to you.

ME: We’ll see about that…” before adding, “I pull out the dog treats I carry for just for such intransigence. I didn’t even get a chance to toss any treats to the pooch before Karen scrambled to grab the dog.”

Now I find the word Intransigence very interesting. He is a Harvard educated guy, so I suspect he knows what that means. the state or quality of being intransigent, or refusing to compromise or agree; inflexibility: By using that word, what he is saying is that he carries dog treats for just the occasions that he comes across unleashed dogs and their owners don’t agree with him. I suspect if he was worried about the rules, he could have said unlawful or lawless or disorderly or even nonconforming. Intransigence implies people unwilling to agree with him.

@KNOWITALL The NY Post did a story and pulled his own words off his Facebook page.

@seawulf575 Ah so he is guardian of the Rambles at every opportunity. Inteteresting, thanks!

@KNOWITALL as I said…creepy.

@seawulf575

And what, exactly, does that have to do with the fact that this woman was in clear violation of the park’s rules?

Also -

“Trying to make the entire thing a racial thing is about as idiotic as can be.”

Yeah, nothing racial at all about it. Especially not with the woman’s repeated emphasis on “African-American man”. Encounters between black men and police officers tend to not end well. Especially when a white woman feigns that she feels threatened. She knew exactly what she was doing.

What she did was definitely wrong but in my opinion, offering food to someone else’s dog is inappropriate and if I had a dog, I would be leery of the person’s intent.

@Darth_Algar My opinion, as was clearly stated in my first post, is that both of these people are screwed up. Him being a creeper has absolutely nothing to do at all with the woman breaking the rules. They are separate issues altogether. But him being a creeper seems, to me, to be an issue as well. How often does he have similar interactions with other dog walkers? He comes prepared with dog treats, for goodness sake!
As for the racial aspect, I am agreeing with you. She was a complete tool. She is the one that made it a racial thing and that is idiotic. Wasn’t I clear about this?

@jca2 Same. Maybe he used treats to catch them and find the owners? I’m still not sure of his intent with the dog.

This guy is not a creeper. He is a birdwatcher with concern over the nesting habitat of some species of birds. He never proclaimed to be “guardian of the Ramble”; it is just one of the places he goes. He is on the board of the Audubon Society for god’s sake!

Sharing dog treats is considered a friendly gesture everywhere except when done by a black man in Central Park. He has repeatedly said he carries them so that the dogs will calm down and stop tearing plantings while being leashed by their owners.

@zenvelo: If I had a dog and a white stranger offered my dog food, it would make me uneasy. No matter the color of the individual, I wouldn’t trust a stranger feeding my dog. I’m betting most dog owners would feel the same.

Only someone I know, or maybe the mailman, would be someone I’d consider acceptable to feed my dog. I have cats, which, admittedly, are nothing like dogs as pets, but if I saw a stranger coming to my yard giving my cats food, I would not let them eat it.

Again, not justifying her meltdown, just discussing this one aspect.

@zenvelo I didn’t say he proclaimed himself to be guardian of the Ramble, but his actions decry your statement.
Would you let a stranger feed your child a popsicle when you’re right there and do not give permission? Dogs have allergies and things, too, it’s not okay.

And as @jca2 says, I also am not justifying the Canadian woman’s behavior or statements in any way. She could have complied with the law, leashed the dog and went on her way. But then again, so could he have, as well. If he is not a cop, it’s really not his place to insist.

I would not care if someone, anyone, wanted to give my dog a treat or my kids a piece of candy.