The Hazards of Birdwatching While Black
Author: Sue C. | Category: Environment & Nature | Human Interest | Date: 05-28-2020
The Hazards of Birdwatching While Black
In case you haven’t heard it though the internet grapevine yet--a black man, an avid birdwatcher in New York City--was reported to the police by a white woman who dialed 911 to report “an African American threatening my life.” Why did she do that? Because he told her she should follow the rules and keep her dog on a leash.
The man, Christian Cooper, a member of NYC’s Audubon Board of Directors, was bird watching in Central Park in an area called the Ramble where dogs are required to be leashed.
He noticed that a woman was with an unleashed dog that was running around. He pointed to the sign and told her that her dog should be on a leash. The woman, Amy Cooper (not related to Christian), responded that dogs need the exercise because dog runs are closed, to which Christian suggested that she take him outside the Ramble area.
She objected vehemently, and when Christian took out some dog treats in an attempt to defuse the situation and encourage cooperation, she grabbed her dog and started dragging the animal. At this point, Christian started filming, and was quite far away from her. He was also telling her not to come closer.
She became more and more upset and pulled out her phone to call 911. One phrase that she was heard saying to the police was: “… there's an African-American man, I'm in Central Park, and he's recording me and threatening myself and my dog!" At this point, the woman's dog is still struggling as she continues to drag him by his collar.
When she finally leashed the dog, Christian thanked her and stopped filming.
Later, in a news broadcast, Christian explains why it is important to leash animals in parks: He said, "If the habitat is destroyed we won’t be able to go there to see the birds, to enjoy the plantings."
In the same newscast, he explains why he filmed the incident:
“I'm not going to participate in my own dehumanization. I'm not going to feed into this. We live in an age of Ahmaud Arbery, where black men are gunned down because of assumptions people make about black men, black people, and I’m just not going to participate in that.”
My heart goes out to Christian and to everyone who has been a target of such instinctive racist behavior. As someone who lived in New York City for many years, I have to point out that I, and many of my friends, have encountered more acts of kindness from people of color than we can count.
We should all try hard to treat people as individuals, not as representatives of stereotyped groups.
The fact that this incident has turned into a condemnation of racism is a very good thing.
It’s also a good thing that Christian is a passionate birdwatcher and took the opportunity to speak up for birds and the importance of habitat protection.
It’s no less than a triple win—for our common humanity, for birds, and for ecosystems.
Read more about this story.
SHARE THIS NOW
Comment:
Zoe Byun June 4, 2020 4:46 am
Victor Wan June 4, 2020 2:23 am
Tommy Zeng June 3, 2020 11:28 am
Tina Zeng June 3, 2020 7:07 am
Jake Kim June 3, 2020 6:07 am
Leo Lin June 3, 2020 3:59 am
Kylee Kim June 3, 2020 2:33 am
Ryan Yang June 3, 2020 2:00 am
Find Us
New Categories
Recent News
Fosopogandists
Category: Environment & Nature
Representation matters
Category: Environment & Nature
Repair the world with public microgrids, an informed public, and public participation
Category: Environment & Nature