A disturbing viral video has cost a student her place at the University of Mississippi, popularly known as Ole Miss.
Alaina Kunes, who was filmed making inappropriate gestures outside a Black student's apartment, has broken her silence on the events that transpired.
Many found her statement hard to believe, saying it’s “lies on lies, only because she got caught. This student knew exactly what she was doing.”
Highlights
- Alaina Kunes has withdrawn from Ole Miss following the viral Ring camera footage.
- She issued a statement addressing the video, in which she was captured making inappropriate gestures outside an apartment inhabited by Black students.
- Netizens accused Alaina of lying in her statement.
- Reports also claimed the Kunes family has been accused of racism in the past.
Alaina Kunes is no longer a University of Mississippi student after mounting backlash over her video
Alaina Kunes has gone from being just another Ole Miss student to one of the university’s most controversial faces.
She is no longer a student at the university in Oxford, Mississippi, and it is unclear whether she was kicked out of the institution or withdrew in light of the mounting backlash.
After the video went viral, reports revealed that Alaina came from a family that has several complaints about racism against them.
The controversy began after a Ring camera captured Alaina and two other white college students walking past the door of an apartment where three Black students were living.
Although the apartment complex is not on campus, the university confirmed that it leases units there for student housing.
The Ring camera footage showed the students making monkey noises outside the Black students’ apartment
Footage captured Alaina and the second student making monkey noises and beating their chests as they passed the door.
The pair laughed and moved on, while a third student was seen trailing behind them, not making gestures but laughing with them.
Reports revealed that Jakiyra Metcalf, Bethany Joyy, and a third student were living in the apartment.
It is believed the video was uploaded online the same night by freshman Jakiyra with the caption: “What do we have to say about this?”
The footage created a massive uproar online, forcing Alaina to address the situation. She claimed she had no idea about the race of the girls living in the apartment.
Admitting her actions were “insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful,” Alaina said she apologized to the women in a statement to Action News 5.
Alaina insisted she never intended to target a person of color
“I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color,” she said. “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,” she went on to say. “These girls deserve to feel seen and understood, and what I did is not a reflection of who I am trying to become.”
Alaina claimed the incident has led to harassment and threats being made against her family.
She also said she intended to cooperate with the university's investigation and understood the seriousness of the situation.
As she concluded her statement, she said she was “committed to taking responsibility and learning from this embarrassing ordeal.”
While Alaina claimed she didn’t know the race of the apartment’s inhabitants, the women living in the apartment offered a different account.
Bethany said they had previously interacted with the girls living upstairs, asking them to quiet down.
The girls apologized for being loud, Bethany said. But when they returned to the apartment, they heard them stomp again.
The roommates said the girls’ apology came only after the video was uploaded online the same night
After the Ring camera incident, Bethany narrated the incident online and said they had confronted the girls.
“When this [the Ring camera footage] happened, I was sitting on my couch while my roommate and best friend were in her room. We HEARD them making the noises from inside the house,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
They later asked the girls “if they did it” and called their behavior “disrespectful.”
“While we were doing this, the monkey sounds continued. We returned inside,” Bethany continued. “My roommate came into contact with them again and was brushed off.”
In her Facebook post, Bethany explained that Alaina and the third girl had arrived at their doorstep on the same night, but only after the footage had made it to the wilderness of social media.
“They claimed that they were ‘stimming’ and were making animal noises in people's Ring cameras,” she wrote.
Generally, stimming is a behavior commonly associated with people with autism and ADHD, but neurotypical individuals also do it.
It is short for self-stimulatory behavior, referring to repetitive movements, sounds, or actions that people use to regulate their emotions, sensory experiences, or concentration.
In the context of the video, it is unclear whether the girls were referring to this type of behavior.
“We just deserve to feel safe in our home, just as much as anyone else does,” Bethany said in a Facebook post
Bethany also pointed out that the girls did not behave this way in front of other doorbell cameras.
“As u can see in the video, there is another Ring camera across the hall that remained untouched,” she wrote. “After they apologized, one of the first things that was asked was about if the video was going to be deleted or not.”
“They saw us, and made eye contact with us. We have had conversations with them before, and none of them were hostile or anything…” she continued.
She also said the intent behind her post was not to have the girls “bashed” or “harassed.”
“We just deserve to feel safe in our home, just as much as anyone else does,” she added.
The Kunes family, based in Wisconsin, has faced scrutiny over discrimination allegations in the past
The controversy has also thrown the spotlight on Alaina’s family, which has allegedly been linked to allegations of racial discrimination.
Her family is linked to the Wisconsin-based company Kunes Auto Group, and customers have made complaints about them.
Attorney William Sulton said he is currently representing two people who have filed lawsuits against the company on the grounds of discrimination.
“My office has been inundated with complaints about racism and other consumer rights issues,” the lawyer told the outlet.
Alaina’s actions were condemned by the University of Mississippi, which called the incident “deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable.”
In a statement to the campus community, Shawnboda Mead, the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, said: “We condemn the behavior as it does not reflect our university's values or the kind of community we strive to be every day.”
Some netizens were not happy with Alaina’s apology, saying she “deserves every ounce of hate that she's currently receiving.”
“Thankfully the internet is forever, and I hope this follows them everywhere in life,” said another.
“You have to make up a better lie than that one,” one commented online
