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University of Mississippi responds after Ring camera appears to capture white students making monkey noises outside Black students' apartment
Students from the University of Mississippi have prompted viral outrage after a video appeared to show them making racist sounds outside the apartment of three black coeds last Friday.
The footage, captured on a Ring doorbell, was shared on TikTok by Jakirya Metcalf, an Ole Miss student, after several white female students could be seen and heard making apparent monkey noises.
The incident caught on camera
The video displays three women, two of whom walk up to the victim’s door, when one appears to beat her chest and make monkey noises, while the second can be heard repeating the sounds of her accomplice.
The women, who remain officially unidentified despite social media’s best efforts to name them, live in the upstairs apartment above Jakirya and her two black housemates.
Sharing the footage to social media on Saturday, Metcalf captioned it: “What do we have to say about this??” Unsurprisingly, the video has prompted backlash and anger on social media, having amassed over 11 million views and thousands of comments urging the university to investigate.
The video sparked further condemnation, with a victim’s mother sharing a damning Facebook post, in which she called on the university to punish those involved, labeling the incident “disgusting and unacceptable,” before exclaiming, “We want answers.”
“College is supposed to be a place where young adults can learn, grow, and feel safe,” the enraged mother said.
“And let me be clear: If you watch this video and genuinely don’t see anything wrong with this type of behavior, please delete me. We clearly don’t share the same values.”
University of Mississippi responds to incident
According to The New York Post, a university representative has confirmed that the educational establishment is aware of the incident and has launched an investigation.
The representative claims that the school condemns the “offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable behaviors” shown in the video.
“The university has reached out to those targeted by the actions to share information, resources, and support,’ the rep said in a statement.
“We are committed to maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors and will follow our processes to ensure the well-being and safety of our community.”