Ole Miss students speak out after Ring camera captures racist gestures, noises

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Three Black Ole Miss students are speaking out for the first time after a Ring camera captured two white women making racist noises and gestures toward their apartment.

Roommates Jakiyra Metcalf and Victoria Johnson, along with their friend Kaiyden Caldwell, sat down for a CBS Mornings interview with Jericka Duncan. They described watching the Ring camera video live as hurtful, devastating and disheartening.

The video went viral online and across social media. In the CBS Mornings interview, the women talked about trying to learn why they were targeted.

“We actually went outside and tried to, like, approach them and get them to explain why they did that,” Metcalf said.

Johnson said one of the women apologized to them in that conversation.

“And one girl was like I’m sorry we did that to four doors. And mind you, we didn’t see any one of those doors. It was just ours that was targeted. And she was like, we didn’t mean any harm,” Johnson said.

The woman Johnson referred to is Alaina Kunes. She is the first woman seen in the video and initiated the gestures and noises.

A spokeswoman for the Kunes’ family attorney confirmed Kunes recently withdrew from Ole Miss. Tuesday Kunes shared a statement through the family attorney apologizing. She said she did not know the race of the women inside the apartment.

“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,” Kunes said in part. “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.”

During the CBS interview, the women said the apology does not change what happened and that forgiveness is not easy.

They said the second woman in the video has not apologized.

“She continued to make the gestures after the girl was apologizing,” Johnson said. “It was like a slap in the face.”

Action News 5 reached out to Ole Miss multiple times about its investigation into the incident and has not received a response.

According to the university’s Code of Conduct Student and Visitor Harassment Policy, what was caught on camera could violate that policy.

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