it said was an attempt to de-escalate the protests. Oberlin blamed the bakery for bringing the protests on itself, claiming that "Gibson bakery's archaic chase-and-detain policy regarding suspected shoplifters was the catalyst for the protests.... The guilt or innocence of the students is irrelevant to both the root cause of the protests and this litigation." During a meeting with Gibson's, Oberlin stated that it would consider reinstating the business relationship if the bakery agreed to not bring criminal charges against first-time shoplifters. According to the civil complaint filed by the bakery, Gibson's was worried that such a policy would cause an increase in future shoplifting. Oberlin made a proposal to all local businesses that, if a business would contact the college instead of the police when students were caught shoplifting, the college would advise the students that they would face legal charges if caught shoplifting a second time. Some observers viewed the Oberlin protests as a reaction to the election of Donald Trump as President. In the opinion of attorney William A. Jacobson, "On a different campus on a different day, it is unlikely a simple shoplifting case would have gained much attention." In September 2018, Oberlin student Sophie Jones wrote an opinion column in a student publication reminiscing about the 2016 protests: "The 2016 presidential election was fresh; the violence at Gibson’s, to me, felt like another, more personal reminder that white complacency like my own was a delusion, a two way mirror behind which systemic racism operated unhindered". Longtime black Oberlin resident Eric Gaines testified, "The election occurred the night before.... People were anxious and it was like a time bomb ready to explode." Oberlin president Krislov wrote in a November 2016 letter to faculty and students: "This has been a difficult few days for our community, not simply because of the events at Gibson's Bakery, but because of the fears and concerns that many are feeling in response to the outcome of the presidential election." A former administrator said that Oberlin's recent drop in enrollment caused the school to be wary of disagreeing with its students. "A freshman from an East Coast big city might come to Oberlin and find there is little for a social justice warrior to do in a small town like this, so they get frustrated and make issues like this shoplifting thing bigger than it should be, and the school follows along."