Ole Miss Student’s Fundraiser Tops $42,000 After Racist Gesture Video

A fundraiser defending University of Mississippi student Lauren Mayfield had collected more than $42,000 toward a $50,000 target by November 11. Mayfield was identified as one of the women filmed making monkey-like gestures and noises outside an apartment occupied by Black students. The page was organized by Tom Hennessey, who said donations could help Mayfield with lost income or opportunities. Its text rejects claims that she broke the law and criticizes the university and online response to the incident.

Three roommates, including Jakiyra Metcalf and Victoria Johnson, told CBS Mornings they went outside to ask the women why they had acted that way. Johnson said one woman apologized, but Mayfield continued the gestures. The roommates said the apologizing student told them the group had done it at four doors; Johnson said the roommates had only seen their own door targeted.

Alaina Kunes, the student who apologized, said her actions were insensitive and harmful. She said she had not known the women’s race and had not intended to direct the gestures at a person of color. Kunes voluntarily withdrew from the university. The roommates said the apology did not erase the harm caused.

University officials announced an investigation on November 9. Hennessey’s fundraiser says it is intended to support Mayfield and urges her not to apologize. The video was shared online by the mother of one of the apartment’s residents, who said it had been provided to university administrators.

Fundraiser Defends Ole Miss Student After Racist Gesture Video

A fundraiser urging support for Ole Miss student Lauren Mayfield has topped $42,000, turning a video of racial gestures outside Black students’ apartment into a campaign against accountability. Mayfield was identified as one of the women shown making monkey-like gestures and noises. The university has opened an investigation.

Three residents of the apartment told CBS Mornings that they approached the women to ask why they had acted that way. Victoria Johnson said one woman apologized, but Mayfield continued the gestures. The roommates said the apologizing student claimed the group had done it at four doors; Johnson said they had only seen their own door targeted.

Alaina Kunes apologized, calling her actions insensitive and harmful, and voluntarily withdrew from the university. The roommates said the apology did not undo the hurt. Their account underscores why the incident cannot be waved away as harmless just because a fundraiser’s organizer calls it a juvenile stunt.

Tom Hennessey, who launched the fundraiser, says the money could cover Mayfield’s lost income or opportunities and urges her not to apologize. The page rejects the characterization of the incident as a hate crime and portrays campus and online criticism as a threat. The university investigation remains underway.

Fundraiser Challenges Ole Miss Response to Viral Student Video

More than $42,000 has poured into a fundraiser for Ole Miss student Lauren Mayfield, whose supporters say she should not be condemned by an online campaign before the university investigation runs its course. Mayfield was identified in a video showing monkey-like gestures and noises outside an apartment occupied by Black students.

The fundraiser’s organizer, Tom Hennessey, says Mayfield did not assault anyone or break the law and argues that campus and online responses are disproportionate. He says donations could help with lost income or opportunities and urges Mayfield not to issue an apology. His defense challenges a response he describes as driven by an online mob and university bureaucracy.

The roommates’ account is also central to the dispute. Jakiyra Metcalf and Victoria Johnson told CBS Mornings that they approached the women afterward. Johnson said one woman apologized, but Mayfield continued making gestures. The roommates said the other student claimed the group had done it at four doors, while they had only seen their own door targeted.

Alaina Kunes apologized, saying her behavior was harmful, and voluntarily withdrew from the university. The roommates said the apology did not change what happened. University officials announced an investigation on November 9, leaving the school’s handling of the incident under scrutiny.