Racial dispute at beloved bakery roils liberal college town in Ohio

[Auburn85 432]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-oberlin-bakery-racial-dispute-20171210-story.html

 

Associated Press

Dake Kang

 

Students at Oberlin College have long enjoyed pastries, bagels and chocolates from Gibson's Bakery, a century-old, family-owned business near campus. That sweet relationship has turned bitter amid hotly disputed accusations of racism, roiling a school and town long known for their liberal politics.

The dispute, which began in November 2016 with the arrest of three black Oberlin students who tried stealing wine from Gibson's, is now a lawsuit in which the exasperated bakery owners accuse the college and a top dean of slandering Gibson's as a "racist establishment" and taking steps to destroy the family's livelihood.

Caught in the middle are longtime residents of this town of 8,300 people, many of whom identify themselves as liberals but who have patronized Gibson's for decades. Many believe the timing was right for the conflict to boil over; the arrests came the day after Donald Trump won the presidential election, electrifying students who had long heard suspicions of racial profiling at Gibson's.

"I can understand why people were looking for some outlet for their frustration, but it's just counterproductive to bend that anger towards a small family business that to my knowledge is not guilty of the sort of racial profiling that people accuse it of," said retired Oberlin professor Roger Copeland.

 

The three students were arrested after punching and kicking the white shopkeeper. The 18- and 19-year-old students said that they were racially profiled and that their only crime was trying to buy alcohol with fake identification; the shopkeeper, Allyn Gibson, said the students attacked him after he caught them trying to steal bottles of wine.

The day after the arrests, hundreds of students protested outside the bakery. Members of Oberlin's student senate published a resolution saying Gibson's had "a history of racial profiling and discriminatory treatment."

Few colleges put the "liberal" into "liberal arts" more than Oberlin, which in the early 1800s became the first in the country to regularly admit women and minorities. But it also more recently has become, for conservatives, a symbol of political correctness gone awry and entitled youth.

News articles in 2015 quoted students decrying the school dining hall's sushi and Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches as cultural appropriation. The divisive, voice-of-a-generation actress Lena Dunham, famously a 2008 Oberlin alumna, was quoted in Food & Wine magazine as saying, "The press reported it as, 'How crazy are Oberlin kids?' But to me, it was actually, 'Right on.'"

 

With Oberlin's reputation preceding it and news of the Gibson's protests spreading online, bikers and out-of-town counter-protesters soon converged on the town to jeer students and buy doughnuts from Gibson's. Conservatives derided the students on social media as coddled "snowflakes" with a mob mentality, while students attacked the store as a symbol of systemic racism.

The three students arrested at Gibson's pleaded guilty in August to attempted theft and aggravated trespassing and said in statements required by a plea agreement that their actions were wrong and that the store wasn't racist.

Even so, students continue to boycott Gibson's over perceived racial profiling, causing business to suffer. Pressed by a reporter to provide evidence or examples of profiling, they said only that when black students enter the store, they feel as though they're being watched.

"Racism can't always be proven on an Excel sheet," said Kameron Dunbar, an Oberlin junior and vice chair of the student senate.

Copeland and other residents say the accusations of racism are unfounded.

"I've never seen evidence; it's always hearsay," Copeland said. "When your fellow student is shutting down a conversation because he or she is made uncomfortable, it leads to a hive mentality."

On Nov. 7, the Gibsons sued Oberlin and Meredith Raimondo, vice president and dean of students, for slander, accusing faculty members of encouraging demonstrations against the bakery by suspending classes, distributing flyers, and supplying protesters with free food and drink.

It says Raimondo took part in the demonstration against Gibson's with a bullhorn and distributed a flyer that said the bakery is a "RACIST establishment with a LONG ACCOUNT of RACIAL PROFILING and DISCRIMINATION."

Today, the lawsuit says, college tour guides continue to inform prospective students that Gibson's is racist.

Dave Gibson, the bakery's owner, says the lawsuit is about standing up for his right to crack down on shoplifting without being branded as a racist. The suit says Oberlin demanded that he stop pushing criminal charges on first-time shoplifters and call school deans instead.

"I have not taken a paycheck since this happened more than a year ago," Gibson said in an email. "Sometimes you have to stand up to a large institution. Powerful institutions — including Oberlin College — and their members must follow the same laws as the rest of us."

Gibson's loses thousands of dollars to theft, the lawsuit said. It rejects any accusations of racial bias, pointing to police figures in the past five years that show only six out of 40 adults arrested for shoplifting at the bakery were black.

The school said in a statement after the lawsuit was filed that it and Raimondo deny Gibson's claims and that the college has stopped buying the bakery's goods, ending what had been a decades-long relationship. Raimondo did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Attempts by the Oberlin Business Partnership to mediate between the school and bakery ended in failure, said partnership Director Janet Haar, with neither side appearing to be interested.

The clash has inspired Oberlin senior Jake Berstein, who said he witnessed the initial altercation, to produce a podcast trying to create a conversation that "isn't being had" between the two sides.

"Gibson's has become all that is wrong with America," Berstein said. "It's a classic case of those political bubbles that don't communicate with each other, and don't want to."

 

 

 

[AUDub 11,131]

Man, talk about eating your own. This is a foolish look. 

[TitanTiger 20,471]

This is what happens when ones views are driven by feelings rather than facts.  No matter what you perceive to be true, when you can see concrete evidence that only 6 out of 40 people arrested for shoplifting at an establishment are black, a logically thinking person should reevaluate their belief in light of reality.

[AUFAN78 3,889]

17 hours ago, Auburn85 said:

"It's a classic case of those political bubbles that don't communicate with each other, and don't want to."

Sums it up brilliantly. 

[Auburn85 432]

https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/ultra-progressive-college-hit-with-11m-in-damages-for-taking-sides-in-racial-profiling-case-that-wasnt/

 

Quote

 

Oberlin College, long known for being ultra-progressive–even with respect to other liberal arts colleges–was just handed a painful legal defeat. An Ohio jury on Friday handed down a $11.2 million verdict against the school for encouraging the boycott of a local bakery. That boycott was meant to protest racial profiling after three black students were arrested. The only problem was that it wasn’t profiling after all.

The day after the 2016 election, three African American students from Oberlin College were arrested for attempting to steal bottles of wine from Gibson’s Bakery, a convenience store located in the nearby town square. Racial tensions being especially high, especially at a college so known for its liberalism, Oberlin’s Student Senate declared the incident a case of racial profiling, and immediately passed a resolution ceasing all support for Gibson’s Bakery.

Shortly thereafter, Oberlin’s administration opted to send out an email blast. The message, signed by Oberlin President Marvin Krislov and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo, offered some comforting words to the student body:

 

"This has been a difficult few days for our community, not simply because of the events at Gibson’s Bakery, but because of the fears and concerns that many are feeling in response to the outcome of the presidential election. We write foremost to acknowledge the pain and sadness that many of you are experiencing. We want you to know that the administration, faculty, and staff are here to support you as we work through this moment together."

The email went on to promise to “commit every resource to determining the full and true narrative, including exploring whether this is a pattern and not an isolated incident,” and demanded that Oberlin’s community and businesses share the school’s commitment against discrimination.  As was predictable at a liberal bastion like Oberlin, activism ensued. Students began protesting the century-old Gibson’s, and people, including Dean Raimondo herself, handed out flyers urging a boycott because of Gibson’s long history of racial profiling.

The  problem, though, was that Oberlin seems to have gotten the entire incident dead wrong. The three students arrested had attempted to shoplift; during later court proceedings, they admitted they hadn’t been racially profiled and said that they’d been involved in a physical altercation with a Gibson’s employee during the incident. One of the students, Jonathan Aladin, was charged with robbery, while the other two were charged with first-degree misdemeanor assault. All three pleaded guilty in public proceedings.

Gibson’s Bakery sued Oberlin for defamation, claiming that the school’s administrators knew or should have known that the student arrests were legitimate and not the result of any discriminatory practices. The Ohio jury sided with Gibson’s, and awarded a whopping $11.2 million in damages. While Oberlin is likely reeling from the loss, there may still be more to come. There will be a separate hearing next Tuesday to determine whether the enormous verdict should be tripled to $33 million.

Defendant Oberlin College is likely to argue that increased damages are inappropriate. At the trial phase, Oberlin argued that even if it was liable for defamation, Gibson’s Bakery was worth only $35K; that argument failed miserably. The point that Oberlin’s annual tuition is over $70,000 was likely not lost on the jury.

 

 

[SLAG-91 1,483]

Just saw that Oberlin got tagged with $4MM in interest charges for not paying the 31.6 million judgment that they owe the bakery.

Guess they can increase tuition a bit to cushion the blow...😐

[TexasTiger 12,810]

Wonder if they’ve learned a thing?

[AUDub 11,131]

10 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Wonder if they’ve learned a thing?

I'm just glad there was some sort of legal recourse for the proprietor of the bakery.

The mob mentality is incredibly seductive. 

[TitanTiger 20,471]

13 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Wonder if they’ve learned a thing?

Hopefully it's to stop letting the inmates run the asylum.  There's a reason colleges have teachers and students.  We'd do well to remember that 18-22 year olds are supposed to the latter, not the former.

[creed 1,629]

On 12/11/2017 at 11:29 AM, AUFAN78 said:

Sums it up brilliantly. 

Well except everyone had a chance to say what they wanted in the court of law which is not aligned politically but by accepted law. From my perspective, it sounds exactly what a loser would say after he is on the wrong end of the law and facts. "I'm soooooo sorry I take back what we (students and university) said...please, please, please can we start over from the beginning."

[icanthearyou 4,462]

9 hours ago, AUDub said:

I'm just glad there was some sort of legal recourse for the proprietor of the bakery.

Agree but, $33 million?  Must be more than the typical hometown bakery.  That's a lot of,,, dough.

[TexasTiger 12,810]

7 minutes ago, icanthearyou said:

Agree but, $33 million?  Must be more than the typical hometown bakery.  That's a lot of,,, dough.

Don’t have to lose too many sales of these:

[AUDub 11,131]

3 hours ago, icanthearyou said:

Agree but, $33 million?  Must be more than the typical hometown bakery.  That's a lot of,,, dough.

Excessive or not Oberlin absolutely deserved to get smacked upside the head here. It'll be reduced on appeal either way. 

[AU9377 4,914]

22 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

Hopefully it's to stop letting the inmates run the asylum.  There's a reason colleges have teachers and students.  We'd do well to remember that 18-22 year olds are supposed to the latter, not the former.

That is very true.

[TexasTiger 12,810]

Appeal denied. Time to dig into the $1B+ endowment:

https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2022/2022-ohio-2953.pdf
 

 

[DKW 86 7,410]

12 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Appeal denied. Time to dig into the $1B+ endowment:

https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2022/2022-ohio-2953.pdf
 

Ouch.

[AUDub 11,131]

22 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Appeal denied. Time to dig into the $1B+ endowment:

https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2022/2022-ohio-2953.pdf

Why cases like this are almost always settled before they hit the trial phase. They probably could have settled for 10% of this.

Oberlin just had to play stupid games though.

[AUDub 11,131]

The Gibsons' attorneys pretty much nailed it here. 

Quote

"Oberlin tried to frame this case with claims and issues that weren’t on trial. This has never been a case about a student’s First Amendment rights. Individuals’ reputations should never be sacrificed at a false altar of free speech."

And imagine simply putting this forth without cringing:

Quote

During a meeting with Gibson's, Oberlin stated it would consider reinstating the business relationship if the bakery agreed to not bring criminal charges against first-time shoplifters

Bwuh? 

[icanthearyou 4,462]

1 hour ago, AUDub said:

Why cases like this are almost always settled before they hit the trial phase. They probably could have settled for 10% of this.

Oberlin just had to play stupid games though.

I wonder if there is some sort of liability insurance covering this?  If so, you would think the insurer would insist on a settlement.

[CoffeeTiger 5,084]

11 minutes ago, icanthearyou said:

I wonder if there is some sort of liability insurance covering this?  If so, you would think the insurer would insist on a settlement.

Oberlin website has an entire page dedicated to their response and their "side" of the lawsuit. I read through it some and the college says that they tried to reach a settlement, but the demands from the bakery were way too high. 

 

 

[AUDub 11,131]

13 minutes ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Oberlin website has an entire page dedicated to their response and their "side" of the lawsuit. I read through it some and the college says that they tried to reach a settlement, but the demands from the bakery were way too high. 

A breakdown

https://chroniclet.com/news/167350/judge-rejects-new-trial-in-gibsons-case-documents-detail-settlement-attempts/

[TitanTiger 20,471]

21 hours ago, CoffeeTiger said:

Oberlin website has an entire page dedicated to their response and their "side" of the lawsuit. I read through it some and the college says that they tried to reach a settlement, but the demands from the bakery were way too high. 

The jury awarded the bakery $44 million in punitive and compensatory damages, which the trial judge reduced to $25m plus $6.5m in attorney's fees.  The bakery owners were willing to entertain a settlement somewhere between $5m and $15m according to the article, plus a contract for 10 years or so between them and the school for food services.

While it might be more than what the school wants to pay, it's not "way too high" by any stretch.  The school screwed the pooch on this royally to appear "woke" (I hate that word as it's come to be used but I can't find more suitably appropriate term for the nonsense Oberlin engaged in here) to a group of students manipulating accusations of racism in an attempt to ruin a decades old family business.  They'd better hope the Gibsons don't just stick with the $31m+ the court has awarded them and offer a realistic settlement.

[AURex 1,984]

One of my best friends and office-mate in grad school, and colleague since then, did his undergrad at Oberlin. It is an excellent liberal arts college and, from my discussions with him, exceptional faculty. Personally, I've visited there and enjoyed Gibson's.

I step up as a progressive in my leanings, but I am 100% committed to rule of law. I just don't get the Oberlin position or the protests. The perps were not victims of anything. They were thieves. They got caught. That's that -- as far as I'm concerned.

It makes no sense to me why Oberlin even got involved in this. It was not university property or a university activity. Students screw up everywhere! Let justice be served.

My longtime friend from Oberlin agrees. He is mystified by the whole thing. It's a huge WTF!

 

[DKW 86 7,410]

https://www.oberlin.edu/sites/default/files/content/office/general-counsel/current-issues/faqs.pdf

The FAQS for Oberlin were like reading the latter half of 1984. Shear Orwellian Doublespeak...

Edited September 3, 2022 by DKW 86

[AUDub 11,131]

On 9/2/2022 at 9:03 PM, AURex said:

It makes no sense to me why Oberlin even got involved in this. It was not university property or a university activity. Students screw up everywhere! Let justice be served.

It was one of those situations wherein a lie can get halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to pull its pants on. They established a narrative early, facts be damned, and the folks that were supposed to be the adults in the room (Raimondo, Reed) failed spectacularly and helped the inmates run the asylum. 

Raimondo got another job. Talk about failing upstairs. How she's not unemployable in the field after costing her employer 10s of millions of dollars is laughable.