Christian Cooper speaks with CNN's Don Lemon about the encounter he had with a white woman who called the police on him during an encounter involving her unleashed dog in Central Park.
Asked if he'd accept her apology, Cooper tells CNN he would "if it's genuine and if she plans on keeping her dog on a leash in the Ramble going forward, then we have no issues with each other."
Cooper, who described himself as an avid bird-watcher, was out birding between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. Monday in the Ramble, a section of Central Park full of winding paths and thick greenery that attracts over 230 bird species when this incident took place. In the video which the majority of the country has seen by now, he is largely silent while she frantically tells police he is threatening her and her dog.
The National Audubon Society, the country's leading bird conservation organization, said they were grateful that Mr. Cooper, a board member of the New York City Audubon Society, is safe.
"Black Americans often face terrible daily dangers in outdoor spaces, where they are subjected to unwarranted suspicion, confrontation, and violence," said Rebeccah Sanders, Audubon senior vice president for state programs. "The outdoors -- and the joy of birds -- should be safe and welcoming for all people."
The New York Police Department told CNN when officers responded neither party was present. No arrests or summonses were made, according to NYPD.