“Given the issues in question and Ms. Cooper’s lack of a criminal record, we offer her, in line with our position in many cases of misdemeanor involving a first arrest, an alternative restorative justice solution; designed not only to punish, but to educate and promote the healing community, “prosecutor Joan Illuzzi’s assistant in court said, according to a statement.
The Critical Therapy Center offered classes for Cooper that “focused on the ways in which Ms. Cooper could appreciate that racial identities shape our lives, but we cannot use them to harm ourselves or others,” said Illuzzi.
“Having completed 5 sessions, Ms. Cooper’s therapist reported that it was a moving experience and that Ms. Cooper learned a lot from her sessions together,” she added.
Amy Cooper was accused of falsely reporting a third-degree incident. Illuzzi acted to reject the charge and the judge granted the motion, the statement said.
The accusation resulted from a May 25 clash in a wooded Central Park area between Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper (unrelated). Amid disagreement over her loose dog, Amy Cooper called 911 and said in an increasingly frantic tone that a black man was threatening her, according to the video of the incident he filmed.
“I’m taking a picture and calling the police,” she says in a video of the incident. “I will tell them that there is an African American threatening my life.”
A 911 dispatcher called back and she repeated the accusation, adding that the man “tried to assault her”, according to Manhattan’s public prosecutor Cy Vance Jr.’s office.
“When the police arrived, Ms. Cooper admitted that the man had not ‘tried to attack’ or contacted her,” said a statement from the prosecutor’s office.
Christian Cooper refused to cooperate
In comments to CNN in May, she said she wanted to “publicly apologize to everyone”.
“I’m not a racist. I didn’t mean to harm that man in any way,” she said.
Still, Illuzzi’s statement acknowledged that his claim could have led to violence against Christian Cooper if the police had caught up with him first.
“The police would be in a position where they think Mr. Cooper tried to attack the defendant. Certainly, he would have been arrested and held forcibly if he resisted, ”she said.
“Mr. Cooper did not want to participate in the criminal justice process, but we determined that the defendant’s offense was not just against an individual, but a threat to the community if left unchecked,” she said. “The simple principle is that you cannot use the police to threaten another person, and in this case, in a racially offensive and accused way.”
“We thank them for their integrity and we agree with the result. Others have come to the wrong conclusion based on inadequate investigation and may still face legal consequences,” he wrote.
Vance had indicated in a previous statement that the prosecutor’s office would try to reach a legal resolution with her.
“Our office will seek a solution to this case that holds Ms. Cooper accountable while healing our community, restoring justice and deterring others from perpetuating this racist practice.”
Kristina Sgueglia of CNN contributed to this report.