Oberlin College previously a stop along the Underground Railroad rallied in favor of three Black students who were accused of theft by the owners of an Ohio bakery. In 2016 when Oberlin professors and deans joined the student protests by in some cases passing out posters reading “DON’T BUY,” the proprietors of Gibson’s Bakery claimed they had been defamed.
According to a lawsuit in 2017 the flyer read, “This is a RACIST establishment with a LONG ACCOUNT of racial profiling and discrimination.” After the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear the college’s appeal of a lower court judgement that affirmed the verdict on August 30 Oberlin College and Conservatory announced on Thursday that it would pay Gibson Bakery the $36.59 million award.
Bakery owners’ attorney Brandon W. McHugh stated in a statement, “The power of truth has enabled the Gibson family to survive Oberlin’s onslaught.” “Truth Still Matters, David can still overcome Goliath.” Oberlin issued a statement calling the judgment regrettable and saying it would not pursue the matter further.
Nothing sweeter this week than @oberlincollege having to pay out $37 million to the Gibsons because their fake claims of racism fell flat.
— John Cardillo (@johncardillo) September 9, 2022
The statement acknowledged that “this matter has been painful for everyone.” “We hope that the end of the litigation will begin the healing of our entire community.” The case began when three Black Oberlin students were arrested at a bakery and market close to the school’s campus in November 2016.
The defamation action claims that one student Jonathan Aladin tried to “steal wine or otherwise illegally obtain wine” from the bakery. In a later statement he admitted to making an attempt to purchase alcohol illegally. According to the court records the other two individuals were detained and charged with misdemeanor assault. The lawsuit claims that after the bakery’s success Oberlin employees attempted to smear the family business’ reputation.
According to the complaint Gibson’s Bakery and its owners racially profiled and discriminated against the three students because of their race and Oberlin’s then Vice President and Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo and other college staff “handed out hundreds of copies” of an accusatory flier to the community and the media.
The bakery’s flyer recommended 10 alternative bakeries and advised people to visit them instead. According to the complaint Oberlin College said it stopped doing business with Gibson’s Bakery in November 2016. There was a third-party company that the bakery had supplied baked goods to for the school cafeteria. Despite resuming commercial connections three months later the lawsuit claims the store experienced irreparable harm in the interim.
It was claimed in the lawsuit that “defamation, boycotts, demonstrations and refusal to do business with Gibson’s Bakery was having a devastating effect on Gibson’s Bakery and the Gibson family.” Nine months after the three students were detained in August 2017 Aladin and Endia Lawrence pleaded guilty to attempted theft and aggravated trespass according to court documents.
🇺🇸#America
The Ohio court forced @oberlincollege to pay $36.59 million.
The woke college demonized & led a boycott against a local White bakery with false and slanderous charges of racism after it caught a student shoplifting. pic.twitter.com/bZrvV1zSpJ
— Klaus Arminius (@Klaus_Arminius) September 9, 2022
A third student also entered a guilty plea this time for attempted theft and aggravated trespass. She was cleared of all charges in 2019 according to Traci Orlando, civil secretary to Judge John R. Miraldi. Aladin admitted in a written statement in the same year that he had attempted to purchase alcohol with a fake ID and had been detained by a store employee.
“This unfortunate incident was triggered by an attempt to purchase alcohol,” Aladin stated, according to court documents. “I believe the employees of Gibson’s actions were not racially motivated. They were merely trying to prevent an underage sale.”
In Thursday’s statement Oberlin said: “We value our relationship with the City of Oberlin and we look forward to continuing our support of and partnership with local businesses as we work together to help our city thrive.”
The welcoming and progressive atmosphere at Oberlin is a point of pride for the university. Its website proudly proclaims that in 1844 George B. Vashon became the institution’s first Black bachelor degree holder. Mary Jane Patterson became the first black woman to get a degree from an American college when she got a BA in education in 1862.
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