A viral video showing alleged racist behavior outside a Black student's apartment has sparked intense outrage at the University of Mississippi.
The 13-second clip, filmed on Friday night, November 6, showed three white female students walking past the apartment, with two appearing to make deeply offensive racist gestures and noises.
Highlights
- A fundraiser has been launched to support one of the students allegedly involved in the viral Ole Miss incident, sparking online outrage.
- The campaign’s description has raised eyebrows, with its organizer making an unusually firm stance on whether the student should apologize.
- Netizens questioned why people were donating money to support the student accused of racist behavior, with one user writing, “This is what they give money to and reward.”
In an unexpected development, a GiveSendGo fundraiser has now been launched in support of one of the students involved, and its organizer has made his position on the controversy crystal clear.
“This just makes me lose faith in humanity tbh!” one commenter wrote.
Two white Ole Miss students appeared to make racist gestures outside a Black student’s apartment in a viral Ring camera clip
The controversy began after a Ring doorbell video showed three white women walking past an off-campus apartment shared by three Black Ole Miss freshmen.
In the footage, two women appeared to beat their chests and make monkey-like noises and gestures near the camera.
The third woman walked behind them and did not visibly participate in the gestures.
One of the residents, Jakiyra Metcalf, shared the footage on TikTok the following day, asking the university, “What do we have to say about this?”
The clip quickly went viral, drawing millions of views and widespread condemnation.
The students later said the women were their upstairs neighbors.
The University of Mississippi subsequently condemned the behavior, with Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Shawnboda Mead describing it as “deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable.”
The university also confirmed that its Office of Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct and its Office of Equal Opportunity and Regulatory Compliance were investigating the incident.
Officials said they had contacted the students targeted by the behavior to offer support, while explaining that federal student privacy laws prevented them from disclosing details about potential disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, Alaina Kunes publicly identified herself as one of the women involved and apologized, describing her actions as “insensitive, inappropriate, and deeply harmful."
Amid the controversy, an online fundraiser has been launched for Lauren Mayfield, one of the alleged participants
She reportedly said she did not know the residents' race and did not intend to direct the gestures toward people of color.
Kunes also said she and her family had faced harassment and threats over the incident.
Her attorney later confirmed that she had withdrawn from Ole Miss, with the university confirming that she was no longer a student.
Amid the ongoing controversy, a campaign, titled “Stand with Lauren,” was launched on GiveSendGo by Tom Hennessey in support of Lauren Mayfield, one of the students named in connection with the incident.
Its description takes a firm stance against the backlash Mayfield has faced, arguing that she is being unfairly targeted by the university and social media users.
The organizer refers to the incident as a “juvenile stunt” and claims that Mayfield “did not a**ault anyone or break the law.”
He also accuses the university and online critics of treating the incident as a “hate crime” because the residents involved were Black.
The description specifically contrasts Mayfield with Alaina Kunes, the other student who has publicly acknowledged participating in the racist gestures and issued an apology.
“Lauren has not,” the fundraiser states, before arguing that she should not be “pressured to apologize.”
It also claimed that the “fundraiser is to cover lost income or opportunities, and anything else required so she does not have to fold.”
“No apologies. No ‘I didn’t know.’ No bending the knee. Donate so the next girl (or guy) who gets the same treatment has a reason not to issue the scripted statement.”
Netizens were left deeply disappointed, with many questioning why people were “supporting racism” through donations
The organizer also added a condition: “I reserve the right to cancel this fundraiser if Lauren disavows our support and bends the knee.”
There is no public confirmation that Lauren authorized the campaign or has received any of its donations yet.
As of this writing, the fundraiser has raised more than $14,000 toward its $20,000 goal.
The campaign quickly became another source of controversy, with many social media users expressing disbelief that someone would organize a fundraiser in response to the alleged racist incident.
“This is what they give money to and reward,” one person wrote.
“Stand with Lauren?? Stand for what??? I hate these racist people,” another commented.
One particularly critical response read, “They’ll donate to racists, but not hungry kids. And you know exactly what side they are.”
Others expressed, “Hopefully she stays unemployed after graduation.”
Another person remarked, “In America, they do fundraisers for racists.....”
“Being racist pays. Racists being racists with this I see,” one comment read.
The backlash over Mayfield's fundraiser has also brought renewed attention to a similar crowdfunding controversy involving a former Cinnabon employee in Wisconsin.
The fundraiser echoes another controversial campaign from 2025, when a Cinnabon employee was caught making racist remarks
In December 2025, Crystal Terese Wilsey was filmed verbally a**sing a Somali couple at a Cinnabon location in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.
During the confrontation, she repeatedly used racial slurs, mocked the woman's hijab, and openly declared, “I am racist.”
The video quickly circulated online, and the franchise owner confirmed that Wilsey had been fired.
However, the backlash was followed by an unexpected development when supporters launched a GiveSendGo campaign titled “Stand With Crystal.”
The fundraiser portrayed Wilsey as a hardworking employee who had been mistreated by the customers and claimed that donations would help her get back on her feet after losing her job.
It also accused the customers of intimidating her, although the full circumstances leading up to the recorded confrontation remained disputed.
The campaign attracted more than $140,000 in donations within days, according to reports at the time.
A separate GoFundMe was also launched by a relative of the Somali couple to help with their legal expenses.
The fundraising efforts sparked another round of criticism, with people questioning why someone filmed using racist language was receiving such substantial financial support.
“Giving donations to this vile racist is only going to make it worse!” one netizen fumed
