Updated November 12, 2026, 4:52 p.m. CT
A local car dealership, already embroiled in racism allegations since 2025, has reached new viral status after an Ole Miss University student with family ties to the dealership was caught making racist gestures toward other students in the apartment.
Kunes Auto Group, a Milwaukee-based auto dealership group, operates more than a dozen dealerships in the area and links the three incidents.
They occurred in different locations and involved different people – one of whom was not employed by the company – but the auto group continued a pattern of involvement in allegations of racism.
Since February 2025:
Here are all the connections between every public incident involving or related to Kunes Auto Group.
Latest incident at Ole Miss has family ties, but no business ties
In the latest incident, Alaina Kunes, an 18-year-old from Elkhorn, was one of two Ole Miss students seen gesturing and hooting like a monkey in front of another Mississippi student’s Ring camera.
For the moment, Alaina Kunes and the other student who made the gestures are not facing legal action. Ole Miss University is investigating the incident and students may face disciplinary action.
Although she shares the name Kunes, Alaina is not employed by Kunes Auto Group. His father, Scott Kunes, is also not currently involved with Kunes Auto Group. Scott Kunes resigned as COO of Kunes Auto Group on February 17.
Scott’s father and Alaina’s grandfather, Gregg Kunes, is the founder of Kunes Auto Group.
Kunes Auto Group has had direct business links to other racist incidents
In January 2025, Makayla Starks found a racial slur printed on a sticker placed on her car by a technician at Kunes Auto Group in Oak Creek.
Starks alleged that the technician attempted to remove the sticker at Starks’ home after the fact, under the false pretense that he had left a tool inside Starks’ vehicle.
Then, in April 2026, a salesman at the Elkhorn dealership sent Carolyn Word a GIF of a dancing gorilla in a swimsuit. Word had purchased several cars from Kunes Auto Group in the past and the dealership was texting Word to gauge interest in another vehicle when the GIF was sent.
Kunes Auto Group employees fired for racist acts
The technician who placed the sticker with a racial slur on Makayla Starks’ car was fired days after Starks discovered the sticker.
The dealership who sent Carolyn Word a GIF of a dancing monkey was fired shortly after Word reported the incident to the dealership.
Because she is not an employee of Kunes Auto Group, former Ole Miss student Alaina Kunes was not reprimanded by Kunes Auto Group.
Alaina Kunes has withdrawn from Ole Miss University
Alaina Kunes’ attorney reported that Alaina withdrew from Ole Miss University on Nov. 10, four days after gesturing toward the apartment’s Ring camera.
Kunes said in a statement that her actions were “insensitive, inappropriate and deeply harmful” and that she had never met the women who lived in the apartment and was “unaware of their race.”
Ole Miss University is further investigating the incident and Kunes said she is cooperating with the university.
Civil rights attorney William Sulton represents the two Wisconsin victims
Of the three incidents, one resulted in a trial in Wisconsin.
Makayla Starks hired Wisconsin civil rights attorney William Sulton to file a racial discrimination lawsuit against the Oak Creek dealership and the unnamed technician responsible.
Sulton and Starks filed their suit in August 2026. It was transferred to federal court in late September.
Carolyn Word also hired Sulton after not receiving a prompt apology for texts sent to her, according to WTMJ-TV (Channel 4). Word had not filed a lawsuit against Kunes Auto Group or the employee involved as of November 11.
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