Cuomo wants state lawmakers to pass ‘Amy Cooper’ 911 false accusation bill
ALBANY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants state lawmakers to pass a bill next week making it a hate crime when 911 callers make a false accusation based on race, gender or religion.
The legislation, first introduced in 2018 and carried by Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn), was rejuvenated last month by a now-viral incident in Central Park showing Amy Cooper, a white woman, calling the cops on a black man after a harmless dispute over her dog.
“We’ve seen 911 calls which are race-based, false calls. A false 911 call based on race should be classified as a hate crime in the state of New York,” Cuomo said during his now-daily briefing in Albany Friday.
He’s added it to a list of law enforcement reform policies he’s supporting when the Legislature returns to session in Albany Monday.
Ortiz told The Post violators could face between one and five years in prison, in accordance with the state’s hate crime statute “if the motivation for reporting such crime is motivated by a perception or belief about their race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation.”
Oh, when Karens take a walk with their dogs off leash in the famous Bramble in NY’s Central Park, where it is clearly posted on signs that dogs MUST be leashed at all times, and someone like my brother (an avid birder) politely asks her to put her dog on the leash. pic.twitter.com/3YnzuATsDm
— Melody Cooper (@melodyMcooper) May 25, 2020
“The bottom line is: We should be using better judgement. Racism gets created, and I think that by making false reporting because of gender or religion is completely unacceptable and intolerable,” he said.
Cuomo backed several additional measures in his legislative agenda, including:
- Reforming the controversial 50-a section of the civil rights law allowing for transparency on prior disciplinary records of law enforcement officers
- Banning chokehold usage by law enforcement
- Naming the attorney general independent prosecutor for cases concerning deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement
Lawmakers in the state Senate and Assembly met via video and phone conference Friday evening, with sources telling The Post negotiations might need to extend into the weekend.
One Democratic Assembly member said negotiations over 50-a have been particularly strained, with discussions “heated up” between downstate and upstate pols.
“We have the votes,” the member added.