Ring Camera Catches Racist Harassment Outside Ole Miss Student's Door

A Ring camera, 8:37 p.m., Friday night

On Friday, Nov. 6, a Ring doorbell camera outside an off-campus apartment in Oxford, Mississippi, recorded three white women walking past the door at approximately 8:37 p.m. Two of them made monkey noises and gestures, including chest-beating, as they passed; the third walked by without joining in.

The apartment is shared by University of Mississippi freshman Jakiyra Metcalf and two other Black students. About two hours after the recording, Metcalf posted the clip to TikTok, tagging the university and writing "ole miss??" and "what do we have to say about this??"

In the comments, Metcalf said the women were not strangers passing through. "We just found out they are our upstairs neighbors," she wrote, adding that she would post an update when she had more information.

The clip spread fast. Within 24 hours it had drawn more than 775,000 likes and 63,000 shares, according to Yahoo. By Monday, the New York Post put total views above 11 million, and a report citing ABC News put the figure closer to 12 million.

Who's in the video, and who isn't named

One of the two women shown making the gestures has been identified by the university as Alaina Kunes, who was 18 and an Ole Miss freshman at the time of the video. The university confirmed Tuesday that Kunes "is no longer a student," though it has not said whether she withdrew voluntarily or was removed, citing federal student-privacy protections.

The second woman seen imitating the monkey sounds has not been identified by the university or confirmed through reporting, and this article does not name her. The third woman in the video, who walked past without participating, also has not been identified.

Tasha Bolton, the mother of one of the three residents, said on Facebook that the women in the video live in the same building, in the apartment upstairs from her daughter. She told ABC News that the family has retained an attorney and that two of the three women approached the residents after the video went viral, asking them to take it down.

"I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color," — Alaina Kunes, in a statement to WMC-TV.

No police report, a campus conduct case

No criminal charges have been reported in connection with the video, and no police involvement has been described in the coverage. Ole Miss said in a statement that the matter is being handled through the university's Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and its Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance office.

The university called the behavior "offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable" and said it had reached out to the students targeted in the video "to share information, resources, and support." It added that it is "committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment" and would "follow our processes to ensure the well-being and safety of our community."

The university's statement also noted that student conduct records, and any discipline that results from them, are shielded by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. That law is why officials have not said what, if anything, happens next for Kunes or the unidentified second woman beyond confirming that Kunes's enrollment has ended.

Shawnboda Mead, the university's vice chancellor for student affairs, told the campus community that the conduct of some students was "deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable." "Every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued at the University of Mississippi," Mead said. "Racism and actions that disparage people because of an aspect of their identity have no place in our campus community."

What Kunes and the family said

Kunes apologized in a statement sent to WMC, the Memphis television station. "To the women I offended and to the Ole Miss community, I sincerely apologize," she said. "Before the incident on November 6, I never met the women involved and was unaware of their race; however, I recognize my actions were insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful."

She added, "I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color. I have apologized to the women and I pray they will forgive me. I can never truly understand the pain I have caused them, and it was never my intention."

Kunes also said she and her family had received threats since the video went viral. "Over the past several days, my family and I have received death threats and harassment," she said. "I am grateful for the authorities working to ensure our safety." She said she intends "to cooperate fully with the University's investigation."

Bolton pressed the university for specifics in her Facebook post. "This is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable," she wrote, calling for accountability. "What steps will be taken to address this behavior and ensure accountability?" she asked, adding that anyone who saw nothing wrong with the video did not share her family's values.

Ole Miss has been here before

This is not the first time a video like this has surfaced at Ole Miss. In May 2024, a white counterprotester was filmed making monkey noises and gestures at Black graduate student Jaylin Smith during a campus demonstration tied to the war in Gaza. His fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, expelled him, and the university opened a student conduct investigation. The White House at the time called the conduct "undignified and racist."

Ole Miss integrated in 1962, when James Meredith enrolled amid a deadly riot on campus. Black residents make up nearly 40 percent of Mississippi's population; Black students made up about 11 percent of the Ole Miss student body in the 2022-2023 school year, according to data reported by the Associated Press.

What happens next

Ole Miss has not set a public timeline. The matter remains with the university's Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and its Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance office, both bound by federal privacy law that limits what the school can disclose about any discipline. Metcalf has said her family expects a meeting with university representatives; no criminal case, charge or court date has been reported.