The board of trustees of Oberlin College — a proud incubator of radical student progressivism almost since its founding — gave up the fight last Thursday, declaring it “would not pursue the matter further.” It has begun paying out to Gibson’s, a local bakery in Oberlin since 1885, the $36,590,000 awarded by the court.
The “matter,” put succinctly, is the attack on the bakery by Oberlin College officials, professors, and several hundred students that occurred six years ago.
Three black students entered the store (which also sells wine) on November 9, 2016, and the police recorded what happened next:
On Wednesday, November 9, 2016, at approximately 4:58pm, officers responded to the area of Gibson’s Bakery in reference to a report of a fight in progress.
As officers were responding to the area, dispatch advised that this was involving an alleged theft complaint.
Dispatch advised that Allyn Gibson, who is an employee of Gibson’s Bakery, was attempting to apprehend a subject who Allyn had witnessed attempt to steal several items.
As officers approached the area, Sgt. Ortiz, and Officer Feuerstein both stated they observed Allyn Gibson lying on his back with several individuals kneeling over him punching and kicking him….
Officers attempted to gain control of the situation and were met several times with resistance from several different individuals.
After a few minutes officers were finally able to take one female into custody and calm the incident and attempt to figure out what had taken place.
Please note the day: This was the day after Donald Trump was surprisingly (and legally) elected president of the United States, and the students and faculty of this communist training center in the small town of Oberlin, Ohio (population 8,000), were suffering mightily. There were tears, mourning, whining, weeping — and anger.
When Jonathan Aladin (aka Elijah Aladin), who was accompanied by two female associates, tried to purchase some wine using a fake ID, the owner of the store, Allyn Gibson (son and grandson of the owners), turned him down. Gibson noted that Aladin had two bottles of wine inside his coat, and when Gibson pulled out his iPhone to take a photo, Aladin slapped it away, striking Gibson’s face.
The three then ran out of the store, with Gibson in hot pursuit. Gibson attempted to detain Aladin, but Aladin knocked him to the ground and the two female associates joined in the melee. They were punching and kicking Gibson when the police arrived.
Those are the facts.
But to the upside-down, truth-is-falsehood, criminals-are-the victims world in which Oberlin College lives, this was an act of racism, pure and simple: a white man attacking a black man. End of discussion.
School officials supported a student-led riot involving some 200-300 radicals outside the bakery the following day. Some of the school’s staff, including the dean of students — one Meredith Raimondo — distributed flyers that said: “This is a RACIST establishment with a LONG ACCOUNT of RACIAL PROFILING and DISCRIMINATION. PLEASE STAND WITH US.”
The flyer, created by Raimondo and copied by the thousands on college copy machines, gave this view of the incident:
A member of our community [Aladin] was assaulted by the owner [Gibson] of this establishment [Gibson’s] yesterday.
A nineteen y/o young man [Aladin] was apprehended and choked by Allyn Gibson of Gibson’s Food Mart & Bakery.
The young man, who was accompanied by 2 friends [Cecelia Whettstone and Endia Lawrence] was choked until the 2 forced Allyn to let go.
After [t]he young man was free, Allyn chased him across College St. and into Tappan Square.
There, Allyn tackled him and restrained him again until Oberlin police arrived.
The 3 were racially profiled on the scene.
They were arrested without being questioned, asked their names, or read their rights.
2 were released shortly after and charged with assault.
The young man is being held in Lorain County Jail, charged with robbery….
If you have been victimized by this establishment in any capacity, we ask you to stand with us in support of our community member.
Oberlin’s student senate participated in the canard, publishing this:
A Black student was chased and assaulted at Gibson’s after being accused of stealing.
Several other students, attempting to prevent the assaulted student from receiving further injury, were arrested and held by the Oberlin Police Department.
In the midst of all this, Gibson’s employees were never detained and were given preferential treatment by police officers.
Gibson’s has a history of racial profiling and discriminatory treatment of students and residents alike.
This statement appeared in the college public square, where it remained posted for a year after the incident.
This is the “reality” in which Oberlin students are immersed, ready to spread their poison to the culture upon graduation. They have both the dean of students, Meredith Raimondo, and the college’s vice president of communications, Ben Jones, as role models.
When retired Oberlin professor Roger Copeland (from another time and, to the students, another planet) wrote a year after the incident, “The time has come for the Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo, on behalf of the College, to apologize to the Gibson family,” she texted: “F**k him….”
Jones remained unrepentant for his and his school’s support of the boycott of Gibson’s. In an email, he posted this screed:
All these idiots complaining about the college hurting a “small local business” are conveniently leaving out their massive (relative to the town) conglomerate and price gouging on rents and parking and the predatory behavior toward most other local business. F**k ’em.
The school had been fighting the lawsuit brought by Gibson’s since 2016, finally giving up when the state’s Supreme Court refused to hear its appeal. The award — the largest in state history — would have been vastly larger except that the state has capped such damage claims at just $25 million. The balance due is legal fees incurred by Gibson’s.
The school said it has begun the process of transferring the funds demanded by the court to Gibson’s, announcing that “this does not diminish our respect for the law and the integrity of our legal system.”
Nor its mission to turn students into radicals.
Related article:
Oberlin College Must Pay $33 Million to Bakery It Accused of Racism
