Christian, the birdwatcher at the center of the viral Central Park video, says he does not want Amy to face criminal charges and will not take part in the prosecution, according to The New York Times. He told the paper she has already paid a steep price and that more punishment would feel like “piling on.” He added that the district attorney is free to move forward without him.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office is doing exactly that. District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced Monday that his office will charge Amy with filing a false police report, with or without Christian’s cooperation. The charge is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail. Her attorney, Robert Barnes, has said she will fight it, and she is due in court on October 14. She has not been convicted of anything.
The case stems from a Memorial Day encounter in the Ramble, a wooded area of Central Park, where Christian was birdwatching. He asked Amy to leash her dog. In the video he recorded, she can be heard telling a 911 operator that an African American man was threatening her and her dog. The clip has drawn more than 40 million views, and Amy has reportedly lost her job since it spread.
The decision has sparked a debate. Josie Duffy Rice, president of The Appeal, argued on Twitter that criminal charges would add nothing to the consequences Amy has already faced and would lend legitimacy to a justice system she considers flawed. Others see it differently. Gloria Browne Marshall, a constitutional law professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said the community was harmed and deserves its day in court even if Christian is a reluctant witness.
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