(My new American Thinker post)
Here is some good news. We've been talking about woke colleges out of control. It's nice to see the good guys win one and get some money to celebrate their victory. Here is the story:
The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected a request to hear Oberlin College’s appeal of a verdict against the private, Ohio school -- meaning the family-owned bakery that won a defamation lawsuit against the institution can finally collect on the multi-million judgment it was awarded by a jury in 2019.
Originally, the judgment against Oberlin was $44 million, but a state law limited the final amount to $25 million, plus $6 million in attorney’s fees. Interest on the judgment has raised the total to about $36 million.
Cut the check because this one is over. The fat lady is singing in her highest pitch: Pay up Oberlin.
As you may remember:
In November 2016, a black Oberlin student was caught trying to steal a bottle of wine from Gibson’s. While chasing him outside the story, a Gibson’s employee wrestled with the student and two other Oberlin students. Police arrived at the scene, and nearly a year later, all three students pled guilty to various crimes.
Despite the students’ admissions of guilt, campus racial grievance groups took action to harm the bakery. Student groups accused Gibson’s of having racially profiled the three students and pushed Oberlin to sever all ties with the bakery, which had supplied its cafeterias with food.
Soon, the Oberlin Student Senate passed a resolution stating Gibson’s “had a history of racial profiling and discriminatory treatment.” Dean of Students Meredith Raimondo joined the demonstrations, using a bullhorn to shout that the Gibsons were “racist.”
With Oberlin faculty joining in the push to sever ties with the bakery, the college then suspended its ties with Gibson’s between November 14, 2016 and January 30, 2017.
Sounds familiar. It's always racism.
What if the college had reprimanded the student for stealing a bottle of wine, turned him over to the football coach for a few extra laps around the field and apologized to the bakers? My guess is that Gibson's would have accepted the apology, moved on and file this one under the "young people do stupid things" archives.
Of course, the college did not move on. They had to play the race card and turn this into something far bigger than what it was.
Moral of the story: Don't listen to your woke administrators because they may cost you a lot of money.