For Falsely Accusing Bakery Of Racism, Oberlin College Finally Coughs Up $36M Settlement But No Apology

After six years, justice — or some version of it — has finally been served for Gibson’s Bakery in Oberlin, Ohio. After having its name dragged through the mud for alleged racism because it tried to hold an admitted shoplifter accountable for his crime, the almost 140-year-old family business last week received a $36.6 million settlement from a defamation suit it filed against Oberlin College in 2017.

The case was appealed all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court, resulting in the upholding of a 2019 judgment against the school when the court declined to hear Oberlin College’s appeal. But the payout wasn’t immediate. It took two-and-a-half more months and an embarrassing op-ed from one of the plaintiffs before Oberlin was shamed into coughing up the money.

In a statement released by Oberlin in September of this year, the college said, “We are disappointed by the Court’s decision. However, this does not diminish our respect for the law and the integrity of our legal system. This matter has been painful for everyone. We hope that the end of the litigation will begin the healing of our entire community.”

How magnanimous. There wouldn’t be any need for healing if not for Oberlin College’s role in fueling rather than helping to put out the fire that began in front of Gibson’s Bakery on Nov. 9, 2016. One day earlier, on Nov. 8, Donald Trump had won his bid for the White House. Within hours, protests were breaking out in cities around the United States, with some quickly turning violent.

In Oberlin, around 5 p.m. on Nov. 9, Oberlin College student Jonathan Aladin stole a bottle of wine from Gibson’s Bakery and was pursued out of the store and down the street by Allyn Gibson Jr., son of David and Lorna Gibson, who along with David’s father, Allyn Sr., owned and ran the bakery. Two female friends of Aladin got involved in the altercation, which ended with Allyn being beaten and the three students being arrested.  

Within hours, a student-organized campaign alleging racial profiling and racism by the bakery called for a protest and boycott. The next morning, Oberlin College Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo got involved, attending and speaking at the protest, and on Nov. 14, the college decided to stop placing daily orders with the bakery — something it had been doing for years. In an op-ed penned in September of this year, Lorna Gibson described the ordeal:

The school put out a statement that implied that this wasn’t an isolated incident. The school’s student senate passed a resolution urging the school to cut ties with us, which was posted in a display case at the student center. Our business from the students themselves and administrators — we have a small grocery store and sell beer and wine in addition to our pastries and candies — dried up completely. And the students kept showing up to protest.

David met with the President of the school, along with other