Starting in 2017, I have written half a dozen columns on the lawsuit against Oberlin College over its participation in a campaign against a small family-owned business accused of racism. In this case, the college not only joined the mob but helped lead the mob against Gibson’s Bakery. Even after a massive award by the jury, Oberlin President Carmen Twillie Ambar continued to refuse to apologize for the shameful and costly conduct of her administration. Now, an appellate court has upheld a $25 million judgment against the small college and Oberlin earned every penny of that penalty. Ambar still remains the president of the college.
This controversy began with a shoplifting case. In 2016, an African American student named Jonathan Aladin was caught trying to steal a bottle of wine from Gibson’s Bakery, which was established in 1885 and has been closely tied to the college for over a century. When the grandson of the owner tried to stop Aladin, a fight ensued and police were called. Aladin and two other students, Cecilia Whettstone and Endia Lawrence, were arrested. Students, professors, and administrators held protests, charging that the bakery was racist and profiled the three students.
Oberlin maintained in court filings that the son and grandson of the owners of Gibson’s Bakery “violently and unreasonably attacked” an unarmed student, but that is not how the police viewed it. Aladin was charged with robbery, which is a second degree felony, and Whettstone and Lawrence were charged with first degree misdemeanor assault. Police rejected claims of a racial motive and noted that, over a period of five years, 40 adults were arrested for shoplifting at Gibson’s Bakery, but only six were African American. It also is not how the court viewed it. When prosecutors cut a plea deal to reduce the charge to attempted theft, a local judge refused. He said the plea deal appeared to be the result of a permanent “economic sanction”by the college in which the victim had little choice but to relent. Ultimately, all three students pleaded guilty.
The merits of the case did not seem to bother Oberlin officials or student protesters. Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo reportedly joined the massive protests and even handed out a flier denouncing the bakery as a racist business. When some people contacted Oberlin to object that the students admitted guilt, special assistant to the president for community and government relations Tita Reed wrote that it did not change a “damn thing” for her. Reed also reportedly participated in the campus protests.
Other faculty members encouraged students who denounced the bakery. The chairman of Africana studies posted, “Very proud of our students!” Oberlin barred purchases from the bakery, pending its investigation into whether this was “a pattern and not an isolated incident.” Raimondo also pressured Bon Appetit, a major contractor with the college, to cease business with the bakery. Reed even suggested that “once charges are dropped, orders will resume” and added that she was “baffled by their combined audacity and arrogance to assume the position of victim.”
The jury in June 2019 awarded the Gibsons $44 million in compensatory and punitive damages. A judge later reduced the award to $25 million. That was just upheld and the appellate court also upheld an award of $6.2 million payment in attorney fees. That comes to $31.2 million not including millions spent by the college to fight this case. If you add the same fees for the college, it comes to $37.4 million in fighting this case by Oberlin.
What is most striking about this case is the utter lack of accountability or remorse on the part of Oberlin. Notably, even after record judgments against the college, officials like Raimondo remained at the college and faced no apparent sanctions for their conduct. (Raimondo recently left the college).
President Ambar would not even apologize to this family. The two patriarchs of the family died during the course of this litigation.
Yet, the college itself is also a victim. The tens of millions of dollars lost by Oberlin could have given hundreds of students free tuition at the school. It could have sustained major research grants and programs. Instead, college officials burned through the money rather than stand up to a mob.
Here is the opinion: Gibson Bros. v. Oberlin
This is very sad. Oberlin used to be a top of the top school.
Not in my lifetime. For as long as I can remember, (and that’s a while) the best thing about Oberlin was its Conservatory of Music. Otherwise, it was viewed as a sort of mini-Berkeley – a mecca for progressive weirdos.
mistressadams —- Then you haven’t paid much attention, being blinded by prejudice:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Oberlin_College_and_Conservatory_people
This news is thrilling! But it’s sad that 2 of the family members have died.
Carmen Ambar is Affirmative Action excrement. Period. She has a “law degree” from Columbia.
Incidentally, she and her husband, a political science professor at Rutgers, divorced in the middle of this litigation. Wonder why.
When I was a young musician, 60 years ago, running in serious music circles in Houston Tx,, the mention of Oberlin College turned heads and stopped conversations. It was so prestigious, so elite, with an iconic Conservatory of Music..You could impress your friends just by saying that you knew someone who was a student there.
If you want a good laugh, here’s a paragraph from Miz “Sharpton in Drag” Carmen’s information/bio page on the website.
“Ambar has also worked to strengthen ties between the college and the city of Oberlin. Her efforts have included Orientation programs that give first-year students an in-depth introduction to Oberlin, offering guidance on how to be a good neighbor.”
In yo face, Mister Rogers!”………lol
Ha, ha ha! Love the MIster Rogers allusion.
American colleges and universities will be under a lot of pressure in the years to come and many will have to close, so there’s an opportunity to enforce karma but only if parents make the right choices.
We, us, the parents, have been too lax about that in the past.
I neglected to mention that woke education has a strategy for beating karma. They can extract rents from governments instead of parents.
And how would they extract those rents? Free college. They can use lotteries and taxes instead of having to compete for your dollars. Government grants–also paid for by you–will fill in the rest. Useless eggheads are always scheming against taxpayers.
Those who can, work. Those who can’t, scheme.
In short, it won’t be enough to choose the right schools. You’ll have to choose the right politicians, too.
Universities must be financially bilking the public if they can afford over $31 million for the sole purpose of virtue signaling while promoting theft and bad behavior.
American universities have become havens for bigots of all colors and ethnicities.
BIGOT
Bigot is the antithesis of the concept of the freedom of speech – free speech is designed and intended to be oppositional and maddening.
Bigotry is principally supported by the Constitution.
You attempt to diminish and subvert the Constitution.
_________________________________________
Merriam Webster
bigot noun
big·ot | \ ˈbi-gət
\
Definition of bigot
: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices
__________________________________________________________________________
“[Obstinance/Intolerance] is in the eye of the beholder.”
– Oliver Platt
__________
“If you’re half right, you’re half wrong. If you’re half wrong, you’re all wrong.”
– Anonymous
___________
So, even though Americans are provided the freedom of speech, thought, opinion, discrimination, press, etc., by the Constitution, people must hold your opinions.
Are you a priest or a pastor – is America your theocracy?
When you reference another as a bigot, you mean there must be a law that requires people to believe as you and to hold your perspectives and opinions.
I’m thinking the Framers would tell you to go —- ——– and get up on Olde Paint and get the —- where you ain’t – not to put too fine a point on it, comrade.
You’re like a Bears fan who tells people in Dallas they shall not cheer for the Cowboys.
We should change the name from the United States of America to the United States of Pirategirrrla?
Understanding the criminality of property damage, bodily injury, stalking, harassment, etc., you present more as a fanatical dictator than a patriotic American and advocate of freedom.
Americans should be only a “little bit” free, right?
Americans shall not be entirely free, with a few exceptions, as prescribed by the Founders, right?
You go, girl!
I hear Moscow, nay, Beijing, nay, Havana, nay, Pyongyang is nice this time of year.
Please do go, girl.
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P.S. What good is an opinion or perspective on bigotry when Americans will soon be gone due to the fertility rate being in a “death spiral?” Have you made any new Americans lately? Now that’s an imperative of absolute essential and fundamental importance – the fertility “death spiral” is an existential threat you may find it worthwhile to counter with pro-active exercises. Bigotry may be the least of Americans’ concerns.
And you envisage and fret why there was no 19th Amendment in the Bill of Rights.
Very informative article. Now Oberlin will likely waste more money attempting to get the Ohio Supreme Court to hear the case. One minor correction in Prof. Turley’s post: Amber the Oberlin president is female. Does anyone know whether a liability insurance company for a college or university will typically pay all or part of the monetary damages?
Don’t know specifically what their policy says. However most liability policies do not cover overt acts. The college administrators acts were overt and intentional. I haven’t read the underlying opinion but I assume it was based on defamation. Liability policies don’t cover defamation. I’ve read lots of liability policies, but not one for a college, maybe it does cover intentional torts by employed. Often an insurance company will defend but reserve the right to make a determination of coverage at a later point. This is just general information I have experience with representing banks and businesses. I’m not a CA attorney, so there could be different law on the matter.
“When some people contacted Oberlin to object that the students admitted guilt, special assistant to the president for community and government relations Tita Reed wrote that it did not change a ‘damn thing’ for her.”
Academia’s ideology of race/gender/class means: Truth and justice be damned. The innocent are merely kindling for their bonfire. (Need more evidence? See the Duke lacrosse hoax, the Gang of 88, and the “pot bangers.”)
Professor Turley, better get ready for the usual verbal assault for
I keep saying hit them in $$$ and you’ll soon see all this quietly leave the battle field. The racist cry is a big con for bullies to put you on defense. I wonder if Oglethorpe U is aware of this case??
Now it’s “don’t say gay” which ultimately is going to kill business if they keep bending their knees. The mouse people should get off that hill it’s not worth dying for.
After 34 years in higher education and watching it collapse with this idiotic ideology as it took hold among administrators, faculty, and students, my fondest hope is that it all turns to dust and ruin. Have the trustees and donors of Oberlin gone silent? Why have they not ended this insanity? And yes, Anonymous, “the scum admins at Oberlin exist at all universities…” I agree with you: “bankrupt them all.”
Can’t wait for the Lefty backlash here. This case was a slam dunk. Let me get this out of the way now. What about Trump? I am sure that in some way he caused those students to shoplift,
And I am sure Fox News played a role as well. And this was certainly a Qanon conspiracy. Maybe some Russian disinformation also.
Its too bad that the Oberlin officials that were involved were not personally held responsible with fees and penalties coming out of their pocket. Until that happens this mess will continue. Too easy to fall back on school, corporation, etc.
Born in 1951, my father taught me at a very young age to treat the children of a mixed raced family in our suburban Pittsburgh neighborhood the same as anyone else as they were just like us. I was not raised a racist – but…I am beginning to believe that we should have picked our own damn cotton. The progressives have turned a great section of the black community into a racial tool (and not for the benefit of the black community as a whole but for specific “useful idiot groups among them) and this is tearing apart not only MLK’s dream, but the nation.
Alma Carman – Well said.
From Yuri Brezmenov on the useful idiot’s:
“They serve a purpose only at the stage of destabilization of a nation. For example, your leftists in the United States: all these professors and all these beautiful civil rights defenders. They are instrumental in the process of the subversion only to destabilize a nation. When their job is completed, they are not needed any more.”
At my age I would wish to live long enough to see the rightful comeuppance of these moronic tools. Their sanctimony is loathsome to endure but their ignorance of their own ignorance is delightful to watch even as it tears this nation apart.
Alma….please to remember the Canadians and Americans had a choice of the French or the Blacks…..and Canada got first choice.
Slavery was wrong when it was acceptable…..Racisim was wrong when it was popular….and Race Baiting today is worse than both as it demeans everyone.
In order to rid differential treatment of others….we have to end differential treatment of everyone……and just behave as equals in today’s World.
I owned no Slaves…..and I know not a single Race Baiter that ever picked Cotton…..a War was fought that ended Slavery and we as a Nation have ended Jim Crow…..have educated our youth (at least in my generation forwards) that as MLK demanded…..we look to the Character of One’s Heart when we judge others.
Race Baiters earn the loathing people decent people of all Races apply to them.
I approve of this message!!!
I should stop being in awe. But an establishment run by a fleet of Doctorates, have never considered what a risk benefit analysis means. What exactly does 8 years and and over a $half million prepare a( fleet of) buy a person? This level of stupid?
These people are supposed to be preparing the next generation to run the world. This is exactly were the Climanistas are taking the world. Disaster by raw ignorance.
When the GOP wins MASSIVE in 2024…they should STOP all government help to money grabbing universities…student loans, public grants and awards!
Hopefully this is the leading edge of a cleansing tide that will wash over the land.
backing people…just because of their skin color is RACISTS! Young black men are 3% of society, yet commit over 50% of ALL Murders, mostly against their own neighbors, friends and family! The black community better start improving their STATISTICS because it isn’t racist to use risk analysis and hard facts to JUDGE GROUPS!
Democrats have set back blacks place in society a 100 years…Almost back to when Democrats were fighting to keep them slaves and preventing them voting, riding public transport, etc
Do black people believe in laws?
“ Almost back to when Democrats were fighting to keep them slaves and preventing them voting, riding public transport, etc”
Instead of preventing them from voting and public transport, Democrats keep them as slaves today on welfare and public housing, aka Democrat plantations
“Do black people believe in laws?”
Of course they do. How silly of you to ask.
They believe in any law that $rewards$ them for claiming they been victimized.
Excellent news. Thanks for the update Professor.
Unfortunately, the Kommisars at Oberlin will not view this as anything other than an expression of white supremacy and that the Court system as serving racist and capitalist masters
Not that anyone doubts it, but it needs to be stated clearly: the scum admins at Oberlin exist at all universities that have recently been in the news regarding silencing, expelling, harassing conservative faculty, students and speakers. Bankrupt them all, starting with the whiny black law students at Kamala Harris’s law school, UC Hastings in San Francisco. Nail these mofos where it hurts most.