Ole Miss Investigates Racist Gestures Captured on Doorbell Camera

The doorbell-camera video shows two women making monkey noises and gestures outside freshman Jakiyra Metcalf’s apartment, while a third woman walks past. Metcalf posted the clip online, where it drew widespread attention. Her mother said Metcalf shares the apartment with two Black roommates and that the women in the video live upstairs in the complex.

Metcalf and roommate Victoria Johnson said they were devastated by the footage. Metcalf said one woman apologized, while another continued making the gestures after the apology. She said she confronted the second woman and told her the behavior was disrespectful. Metcalf also said the woman who apologized told them the group had done the same thing at several doors, though Metcalf believed their home was the only one targeted.

Alaina Kunes, 18, publicly apologized and said the conduct was insensitive and harmful, but not intended as a gesture toward a person of color. She said she had not met the women or known their race before November 6. Kunes said her family received death threats and harassment, and asked for privacy. In a later statement, she said she had decided to leave the university.

Vice-chancellor for student affairs Shawnboda Mead condemned the behavior and said the university was investigating. She said the school had reached out to students affected by the incident to provide assistance and listen to their concerns, and urged the campus not to circulate unverified claims about who was involved. The other two women in the video have not publicly confirmed their identities. The university had not provided information about enrollment or disciplinary action.

Ole Miss Must Confront Racist Gestures as Students Seek Support

The video captures two women making monkey noises and gestures outside freshman Jakiyra Metcalf’s apartment, with a third woman walking past. Metcalf and roommate Victoria Johnson said they were devastated by the footage. Metcalf said one woman apologized, but another continued the gestures, turning the encounter into an especially hurtful confrontation.

Metcalf said she told the second woman the behavior was disrespectful. She also said the woman who apologized told them the group had acted similarly at several doors, although Metcalf believed their apartment was the only one targeted. The footage drew widespread attention after Metcalf shared it online.

Alaina Kunes, 18, apologized, calling her conduct insensitive and harmful, while saying she had not known the women’s race and had not intended to direct the gestures at a person of color. She later said she had decided to leave the university. Her family, she said, had received death threats and harassment.

Vice-chancellor Shawnboda Mead condemned the behavior and said the university was investigating and had contacted the affected students to offer support. That response matters, but the students’ account makes clear that an apology alone cannot erase the harm. The university should take their concerns seriously as it determines what accountability requires. The other two women have not publicly confirmed their identities, and the school had not provided information about disciplinary action.

Ole Miss Probe Should Weigh Accountability Alongside Due Process

A doorbell camera captured two women making monkey noises and gestures outside freshman Jakiyra Metcalf’s apartment as a third woman walked by. The video spread widely online, prompting condemnation and a university investigation. The behavior was plainly inappropriate, but conclusions about everyone in the footage should rest on verified facts rather than online speculation.

Metcalf and roommate Victoria Johnson said they were devastated. Metcalf said one woman apologized while another continued making the gestures, and said she confronted the second woman about the disrespectful conduct. She also said the woman who apologized told them the group had done the same thing at other doors, though Metcalf believed their home was the only one targeted.

Alaina Kunes, 18, apologized and described her actions as insensitive and harmful. She said she did not know the women’s race beforehand and had not meant the actions as an insult to anyone of color. She said her family received death threats and harassment, and later said she had decided to leave the university.

Vice-chancellor Shawnboda Mead said the university was investigating, had reached out to the affected students, and urged people not to spread unverified information about those involved. That is the right standard for a serious campus inquiry: support those harmed, examine the evidence, and avoid treating unconfirmed claims as settled. The other two women have not publicly confirmed their involvement, and the university had not provided information about disciplinary action.