News: A viral video has been in circulation, showing a white woman who called the police on a black man in Central Park, New York, when he politely asked her to leash her dog as per the park’s regulations. The investment firm at which the woman worked fired her, denouncing “racism of any kind”.
Here are five components of the story:
- “Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately. We do not tolerate racism of any kind,” the company said on Twitter.
- “I’m going to call the cops,” Amy Cooper tells the man, Christian Cooper (no relation), on the video, apparently shot on Monday with a cellphone camera. “I’m going to tell them there’s an African-American man threatening my life.” “Please tell them whatever you like,” Christian Cooper responds on the video.
- New York’s Central Park has clear rules and signs that state that dogs must be leashed at all times.
- The further significance of the incident which has intensified the backlash against this particular incident, refers to the history of the park itself- five young black boys were unfairly and falsely arrested for the rape of a woman and incarcerated for almost the entirety of their sentences. They were known as the Central Park Five, and became a large part of the resistance against racism, white supremacy and police brutality in America.
- This instance of racial hatred has come out at a time when another young black man died after being pinned to the ground by the police in Minnesota, prompting further outrage against racially charged violence.
