Ole Miss Faces Backlash as Black Student's Ring Video Shows Women Making Monkey Noises Outside Her Home

A Black student at the University of Mississippi has called on Ole Miss to respond after sharing Ring camera footage showing two women apparently making monkey noises outside her apartment, while a third woman follows behind.

Jakiyra Metcalf posted the recording on TikTok on Friday, 6 November, tagging the university and asking it to respond. The footage is timestamped at approximately 8.37pm that evening.

The video prompted criticism on social media and calls for university action. The women's identities and student status remained unconfirmed in the reporting available on 8 November.

Ring Footage Draws Calls for Action

The recording shows three women passing Metcalf's apartment door. Two make monkey noises: one hops into view and beats her chest, while a second approaches the camera and repeats the sounds. The third follows behind but does not make the noises or perform the chest-beating gestures.

When the post was checked, Metcalf's TikTok video displayed approximately 883,500 likes, 33,500 comments and 71,500 saves. Users also tagged Ole Miss and urged university officials to act.

The recording does not establish what they knew about the apartment's occupants or what happened before the footage began.

Metcalf Says Women Are Upstairs Neighbours

As the video drew attention, Metcalf added a comment beneath her post: 'We just found out they are our upstairs neighbors.'

She did not name the women or explain how she had established where they lived. The neighbour connection has not been independently confirmed. She also told viewers she would share an update when she had further information.

Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho joined the criticism on 8 November, condemning the behaviour shown outside her home.

'In a world filled with endless possibilities ... where you can choose to be kind, choose to be empathetic, choose to pursue excellence, or simply choose to mind your own business ... Why choose to be racist?' he wrote.

Acho went on to argue that racism was not an accident or a momentary lapse in judgement, but a deliberate decision to use the history of racial abuse against another person.

Identities and University Response Unconfirmed

As of the 8 November reporting cutoff, Ole Miss had not publicly commented on the recording, confirmed the women's enrolment or announced disciplinary action. Names circulated online, but those posts did not independently establish who appeared in the recording.

The University of Mississippi's Alpha Phi chapter was reportedly working with the university's Fraternity and Sorority Life office and the sorority's national Executive Office to address what it described as false accusations and protect its members. Its response did not establish the identities of the women shown in Metcalf's recording.

Separate 2024 Incident Led to Investigation

A separate confrontation at Ole Miss in May 2024 involved a white counter-protester filmed making monkey-like sounds and gestures towards a Black woman during a pro-Palestinian demonstration.

The confrontation unfolded on 2 May 2024 during a campus protest over the Israel-Hamas war. Approximately 30 pro-Palestinian demonstrators were surrounded by an estimated 200 counter-protesters.

The university opened a student conduct investigation. Phi Delta Theta separately removed a member following its disciplinary process, describing the behaviour as 'unacceptable' and 'offensive'.

Those actions concerned different people and circumstances. They do not establish that an investigation or disciplinary proceedings were opened over Metcalf's recording.