24 hours after a video of an altercation between a white female executive and a black man in Central Park went viral almost immediately, the woman was sacked over the episode.
Amy Cooper, an employee of Franklin Templeton was seen calling the police on her mobile phone saying “there is an African American man, I am in Central Park. He is recording me, and threatening myself and my dog.” The man had earlier asked her to leash her dog in the wooded area of the park, called the Ramble.
The incident underscores the nature of race relations in the country in which African-Americans have faced outbursts and worse while simply going about their business. It also demonstrates that companies are increasingly holding employees accountable even for behavior that occurs outside the office.
On Monday, Franklin Templeton placed Amy Cooper, the firm’s head of insurance investment, on leave and by Tuesday afternoon, they fired her over the episode. In a statement released by the company’s spokeswoman, said “Following our internal review of the incident in Central Park yesterday, we have made the decision to terminate the employee involved, effective immediately, We do not tolerate racism of any kind at Franklin Templeton.”
Amy Cooper later apologized, “I sincerely and humbly apologize to everyone, especially to that man, his family, It was unacceptable and I humbly and fully apologize to everyone who’s seen that video, everyone that’s been offended,” adding, “everyone who thinks of me in a lower light and I understand why they do.”
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