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One of the Ole Miss students caught on camera making monkey noises outside a black student's apartment has broken her silence, issuing an apology and claiming she was unaware of her neighbor's race.
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she → sign → race
A video of three white college girls at the University of Mississippi circulated earlier this week, showing them walking by an apartment building, making monkey noises and beating on their chests.
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them → circulate → chests
The behavior was caught on a Ring camera and posted online.
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behavior → catch → camera
Jakiyra Metcalf, who's also a student at the university, shared the footage online with the caption: 'What do we have to say about this?'
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we → share → this
Metcalf wrote in the comments that the incident unfolded outside her apartment, and she later realized the three girls were her upstairs neighbors.
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girls → write → apartment
The complex is off-campus, but the university said it leases student housing there.
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it → say → housing
Tasha Bolton, Metcalf's mother, shared online that her daughter is a freshman at the school and lives in the unit with two other black students.
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daughter → share → students
Alaina Kunes, the first girl who walks by the camera in the video, has now said that she did not know who lived in the apartment or the tenants' races.
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who → walk → apartment
'I would have never intentionally made those noises or gestures toward a person of color,' she said in a statement to Action News 5.
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she → make → News
'I have apologized to the women and I pray they will forgive me.
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they → apologize → me
'
'I can never truly understand the pain I have caused them and it was never my intention,' she continued.
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she → understand → them
Alaina Kunes, the first girl in the video, has apologized for her actions and said she had no idea who lived in the apartment
Jakiyra Metcalf, a student at the University of Mississippi, posted the clip on Saturday alongside the caption 'what do we have to say about this?,' as the video went viral on TikTok
The other two girls in the video have not been publicly identified
'These girls deserve to feel seen and understood and what I did is not a reflection of who I am trying to become.'
Kunes said she planned to cooperate with the university's investigation, adding that she understood the 'seriousness' of the situation and was 'learning from this embarrassing ordeal.'
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she → apologize → ordeal
Ole Miss confirmed to Action News 5 that Kunes was no longer a student.
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Kunes → confirm → News
It's unclear if she withdrew of her own volition or was removed from campus.
uncertain
she → withdraw → campus
The University of Mississippi has condemned the actions depicted in the video, calling it 'deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable.
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University → condemn → it
'We condemn the behavior as it does not reflect our university's values or the kind of community we strive to be every day,' the statement added.
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statement → condemn → community
The second two college students depicted in the video have not publicly identified themselves, although many have speculated about their identities online.
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many → depict → identities
Kunes and a second girl were seen making monkey noises, banging on their chests, and laughing in the footage.
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Kunes → see → footage
The third girl did not make any gestures or noises but seemed to laugh in the video.
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girl → make → video
Bethany Joyy, one of the girls living in the apartment, wrote on Facebook that they had spoken to the girls seen in the video once before about them being loud.
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them → live → video
Joyy said the girls apologized, but stomped again after she and her roommates returned to their downstairs apartment.
'When this [the Ring camera footage] happened, I was sitting on my couch while my roommate and best friend were in her room.
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roommate → say → room
We HEARD them making the noises from inside the house,' she continued.
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she → hear → house
Bethany Joyy, one of the girls living in the apartment, wrote on Facebook that the girls claimed they were 'stimming' and 'after they apologized, one of the first things that was asked was about if the video was going to be deleted or not'
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video → live → things
The university has condemned the actions depicted in the video calling it 'deeply troubling, hurtful, and unacceptable
After reviewing the footage, they confronted the girls and 'asked them if they did it,' telling them it was 'disrespectful,' Joyy said.
'
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Joyy → condemn → them
While we were doing this, the monkey sounds continued.
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sounds → do → this
We returned inside.
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We → return → ?
My roommate came into contact with them again and was brushed off.
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roommate → come → them
Later on in the night, the first and last girls came and apologized AFTER the video had been uploaded,' she wrote.
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she → come → night
They claimed that they were “stimming” and were making animal noises in peoples ring cameras.
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they → claim → cameras
As u can see in the video, there is another ring camera across the hall that remained untouched.
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that → see → hall
After they apologized, one of the first things that was asked was about if the video was going to be deleted or not.
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video → apologize → things
They saw us, and made eye contact with us.
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They → see → us
We have had conversations with them before and none of them were hostile or anything...
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none → have → them
We did not make this post to have anyone bashed, nor harassed.
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anyone → make → post
We just deserve to feel safe in our home, just as much as anyone else does.
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anyone → deserve → home
Joyy said that she and her roommates had always been respectful as neighbors, and that they reported the incident to their property manager and university officials.
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they → say → manager
The Daily Mail has reached out to the university for an update and the Kunes family for comment.
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Mail → reach → comment
The Aporia
