A few days ago, a mother on a prospective-student tour at Colorado State University phoned campus police and reported suspicious behavior from two brothers who weren’t answering questions, kept their hands in their pockets, showed up to the tour late, and were wearing dark clothing with “scary” words. She told the 911 operator that she “feels completely ridiculous” and is “probably just being paranoid” but “felt sick” with a feeling she couldn’t shake.

Moments later, the brothers were pulled out of the group by campus police, their credentials were verified, and they were cleared of any wrongdoing. Now, it turns out the brothers were Native American. The violent words on their clothing were the names of metal bands — one of which, called “Cattle Decapitation,” allegedly doesn’t represent violence at all — and they were late because they had traveled seven hours to visit the campus. One brother wants to start a music-therapy business, and likes CSU’s proximity to Denver. They were being quiet because they’re “shy.” The brothers’ mother said she was worried about her sons the whole time and now thinks that “they’re not safe there” and that “they’re being profiled because they’re different.”

All this has led to sharp criticism of the mother on social-media and mainstream news outlets. Following suit, the school’s president, Tony Frank, even offered an over-the-top apology for something the mother did not do: “The very idea that someone — anyone — might ‘look’ like they don’t belong on a CSU Admissions tour is anathema. People of all races, gender, identities, orientations, cultures, religion, heritages, and appearances belong here.” Speaking to the mother indirectly, Frank said: “If you’re uncomfortable with a diverse and inclusive academic environment, then you probably have a better fit elsewhere.”

It’s frustrating that those committed to turning this into a race issue are vilifying the mother, using information unknown to her at the time to paint her as an enemy of diversity, as though she was attempting to keep CSU’s entering class as non-Native American as possible. Rather, if you listen to her 911 call, which you can do here, she admits that she’s only calling because she’s paranoid given “everything that’s happened.” Of course, she’s talking about school shootings.

Yes, the mother’s suspicions were unfounded, but no, she should not have ignored them — especially in this climate of paranoia, in which the press has convinced large swaths of the public that school shootings occur every day. She should not be reprimanded for not knowing things she could not have, and, arguably, she should serve as an example of what to do, rather than what not to do when witnessing suspicious behavior.