desymbol: “I Made This Comic Strip Two Years Ago… Nothing Has Changed”: Comic About Racism Goes Viral

Two years ago, a white woman went viral after a video was uploaded to the Internet, showing her calling the cops on a few black folks for simply having barbeque. Just a month or so later, another white lady made the headlines when she threatened to call the police on an 8-year-old black girl for selling water without a permit.

The series of widely publicized episodes in which white people have informed authorities about black people doing mundane things have eventually inspired LA-based artist Obi Arisukwu to create a satirical comic. Sadly, recent events are proving that the strip is still relevant.

More info: obiaris.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Image credits: ObiAris

Two years ago, artist Obi Arisukwu made a comic about white people calling the police on black folks for doing mundane things

A couple of days ago, a verbal dispute between a white woman with an unleashed dog and a black man bird watching in Central Park might have gone unnoticed as the city — just like the rest of the world — is preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic.

However, birdwatcher Christian Cooper pulled out his phone and captured Amy Cooper calling the cops to report she was being threatened by ‘an African-American man’. He then posted the recording on Facebook and his sister shared it on Twitter, sparking a discussion on racism.

Sadly, it’s still relevant

Image credits: melodyMcooper

Here’s the video

So, here are the facts: both Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper (no relation) were in Central Park’s Ramble, a wooded area, on Monday morning. Christian was bird-watching and Amy was walking her dog.

The New York City Parks Department requires that dogs have to be leashed in the Ramble, since the plantings and wildlife in the area are cultivated and maintained for the public to enjoy. This means that Amy Cooper was violating that rule by letting her dog roam around off-leash (she later told CNN she knew it was against the rules).

Christian Cooper asked her to leash her dog (he said he did it calmly, but according to Amy, Christian was yelling at her). As their conflict escalated, Christian started recording it, and you can hear who is yelling and who is being calm and polite perfectly fine. It’s Amy being the unreasonable one.

Amy later explained that she was alone in a wooded area when Christian came out of the bushes, and it freaked her out. She refused to leash the dog, and, according to Christian’s account on Facebook, he told her “Look, if you’re going to do what you want, I’m going to do what I want, but you’re not going to like it.”

“I didn’t know what that meant. When you’re alone in a wooded area, that’s absolutely terrifying, right?” Amy told CNN.

Christian then called to the dog and offered it dog treats. According to him, this is an effective strategy to get dog owners to leash their dogs.

Amy then stated that what Christian Cooper said had been a polite request into a conflict. As some reporters pointed out, that’s quite strange for someone who is scared for her life.

In return, Christian started recording, and the rest is history.

It got the lady fired and she lost her dog, too

Image credits: FTI_US

Police said that by the time they responded, both of them were gone.

In the fallout, investment firm Franklin Templeton quickly announced it had fired Amy Cooper, saying, “We do not tolerate racism of any kind.”

A group called Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue said it had custody of her dog for the time being. The pet could be heard coughing in the video after she clenched it by the collar with its front legs off the ground.