NAACP Refuses To Provide Evidence After Smearing Ole Miss Students As Racists
The University of Mississippi NAACP chapter is refusing to provide evidence or answer questions after accusing multiple students of racism, despite repeated inquiries from OutKick.com.
Ole Miss was engulfed by protests last week as anti-America/anti-Israel/pro-Hamas rallies on college campuses hit a boiling point. After one such protest formed on campus, a large group of mostly young men gathered in response to make it known sympathizing with terrorists wouldn't be tolerated in Oxford.
They sang pro-America chants, waved the American flag and other patriotic flags, shouted for Donald Trump to win the 2024 Presidential election and more or less crushed the pro-Hamas group with overwhelming patriotism.
As someone who loves America and loves people who love America, it was great to see. However, it didn't take long for people to be targeted for cancelation.
The Ole Miss NAACP chapter smears students as racist without providing evidence.
Shortly after the protest, the local NAACP chapter released a statement demanding the expulsion of the following three students:
- James "JP" Staples
- Connor Moore
- Rouse Davis Boyce (who became the defacto face of the pro-America side as he was highlighted in viral videos sporting red, white and blue overalls)
"UM (University of Mississippi) NAACP requests the expulsion of individuals involved in the use of racial slurs, intimidation, and vulgar behavior exhibited during Thursday’s protest," the statement read. Photos of all three were attached.
Staples was seen on video appearing to make a monkey sound in the direction of an African American woman. A witness told OutKick he believed the noises were directed at her because she is overweight. Either way, there's certainly a conversation to be had about Staples' conduct. It certainly appeared to be idiotic, and he was thrown out of his fraternity immediately for his actions. But that definitely doesn't mean everyone there should be roped in.
So that brings us to Moore and Boyce, who the UM NAACP say should be expelled due to their actions at the rally. However, thus far there is zero evidence publicly available to suggest Moore or Boyce ever engaged in any inappropriate conduct.
In fact, the videos and photos floating around of the two, who both didn't have comment to share, show them simply wearing American flag overalls, waving a Trump flag, exchanging terse words with the anti-America side and perhaps some mild energetic taunting, not unlike a rivalry sports game atmosphere. You can disagree with any part of that if you want, but none would suggest the pair engaged in "the use of racial slurs, intimidation, and vulgar behavior." In fact, in a situation with cameras everywhere, there's no video at all to suggest either did or said anything wrong. A witness there told OutKick he didn't see either engage in any inappropriate conduct. They were simply counter-protesting loudly and showing pride in America.
You can see the young men in the photos and videos below. The second one includes Staples.
Ole Miss students and counter-protesters Rouse Boyce and Connor Moore. (Credit: H.G. Biggs/Special to Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK)
So, where is the evidence? If it exists, the NAACP won't share it. When reading reactions to the UM NAACP's statement, I came across two stunning news articles.
This is from the Daily Mississippian:
The Daily Mississippian asked for the evidence used as the basis for the identification of the other two individuals but has not received this evidence from the UM NAACP. The Daily Mississippian has also reached out to all individuals identified but received no comment.
This is from the Clarion Ledger:
UM NAACP President Meghan Curry said the organization is also looking into other counter protesters who are students at Ole Miss, but she declined to disclose specific information relating to those students.
She is also recommending that anyone with evidence of misconduct from the Thursday protest turn it in and also inform UM NAACP so they can identify others.
That last part triggered my interest. Why is the UM NAACP refusing to publicly share evidence, and instead asking for people to bring it to them? After all, the organization smeared both young men as racists. The burden of proof is on the organization.
Ole Miss students protested against an anti-America rally. (Credit: H.G. Biggs/Special to Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK)
I asked the UM NAACP if any evidence against Moore and Boyce will be made public, what is the evidence, where the evidence is being held and if the UM NAACP has been threatened with legal action by the young men it smeared as racists. The UM NAACP declined to answer all of OutKick's questions. I quickly followed up by asking what the reason was for all the silence - noting the students' names were published without evidence - if it's reasonable to presume no evidence actually exists at all. My follow-up questions were also not answered.
The national and state NAACP also didn't respond to multiple attempts to get statements on whether evidence existed and if they were aware of what the campus chapter had done.
An Ole Miss public relations official told OutKick that he wasn't aware of any evidence being presented against Moore or Royce to justify the claim they'd done anything wrong, but that if evidence were handed to the school, it would be protected under student privacy laws. Chancellor Glenn F. Boyce (no relation to Rouse Davis Boyce) previously stated an investigation into one Ole Miss student had been opened, but didn't name who it was.
The NCAAP won't comment after accusing students of being racist. (Credit: H.G. Biggs/Special to Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK)
UM NAACP should be ashamed.
The fact the NAACP has now told multiple outlets that it won't provide any evidence against Moore or Boyce at this time isn't just troubling. It's incredibly disgusting and indefensible.
The Instagram post clearly states "UM NAACP requests the expulsion of individuals involved in the use of racial slurs, intimidation, and vulgar behavior exhibited during Thursday’s protest."
The picture in the post states "individuals identified as primary perpetrators of racist remarks and actions that constitute derogatory and offensive behavior."
What behavior did Moore and Boyce engage in? What derogatory actions did the two participate in? Was their crime simply shouting down a pro-Hamas mob? Was Boyce's crime that he was arguing with an African American woman? There's nothing on camera or statements from witnesses to suggest either did a single thing wrong. Yet, the campus NAACP chapter had no problem tying them in with Staples, and is now silent when asked to present evidence.
This isn't a small news story. It was covered by TIME and many other outlets. Two seemingly innocent Ole Miss students have been tarred and feathered without a shred of evidence being presented to support the claim they engaged in horrific conduct worthy of expulsion, which is what the UM NAACP is demanding. Considering the complete lack of evidence, it's not unfair to view this as a hoax. Not that dissimilar to the BYU/Duke volleyball race hoax. A BYU student was accused of shouting racial slurs at a Duke player. The world threw its support behind the Blue Devils. It all turned out to be fake. This is eerily similar.
If there's any justice in the world, Moore and Royce will sue the NAACP for every penny its worth. Society simply can't tolerate false allegations of racism being thrown around by powerful organizations, which then hide behind refusing to comment when asked for details to support their allegations. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.