Cleveland Italian bakery owners tell story behind armed business guards: 'We had no choice'
Cleveland Italian bakery owners tell story behind armed business guards: 'We had no choice'
June 6, 2020 | Vivek Saxena | Print Article
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A Cleveland, Ohio bakery owner whose family brandished weapons on rioters who'd threatened to loot their business feels no remorse over the actions they took.
"We were there because we were getting ready to open on Monday, and unfortunately there was a riot that evolved, and it really came to our door," fourth-generation Corbo's Bakery owner Selena Corbo said Thursday on Fox News' "Fox News @ Night."
"Right outside our door, there were 400 or 500 rioters, so we had to protect ourselves and we had to protect our business. We work too hard for it to let anything happen. Our business is our life."
Listen below (disable your adblocker if the video doesn't appear):
Located in Cleveland, Ohio, her family's bakery became a national sensation after video footage emerged showing Corbo's sons using shotguns to keep a mob of "Black Lives Matter" protesters from entering the shop and potentially destroying it.
"John Corbo was inside of his business in Playhouse Square when what had been a peaceful protest against police violence and racial injustices was ended by agitators inciting violence and a police response involving tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowds of people," local station WEWS reported on Monday.
"Corbo said vandals began breaking windows, throwing rocks and heavy items through them and destroying storefronts across the city. He knew he was outnumbered but grabbed his gun and stood in the doorway to prevent looters from stealing from his bakery."
They weren't well received by some of the rioters.
"They accused us of wanting to hurt someone. That's not why we're here, standing here to protect our business," Selena told WEWS. "Most of them understood but not all of them. Then they tried to hit us or throw stuff at us so we walked back in and then they broke our window."
"Honestly I just want to protect my family," John added. "That's my biggest worry. If a window breaks, okay. As long as I walk away with everybody. We can get another window but we gotta prevent as much as the looting and damage as you can while maintaining our lives. That was number one."
All this happened last Saturday. Five days later on Fox, Selena reiterated what she and John had said days earlier.
"You want to know the truth? I was there with my children and two of my three sons and my husband, and all we thought about was to protect ourselves and our business. We really weren't thinking about anything else to be honest with you," she said to FNC host Shannon Bream.
"You know, were we nervous? Of course. Were we scared? Of course. But we thought we had no choice. We worked too hard. We worked 60, 70 hours a week. This is our life. We couldn't let it be destroyed, and if they came to your door, your home or your business, what would you do? You have to protect yourself, you can't just allow it to happen. You know?"
She was right. Men like black Minneapolis firefighter Korboi Balla lost his entire business because of looters and rioters. And over in in St. Louis, retired police captain turned pawnshop owner David Dorn lost his life.
Our highest respect to the family of David Dorn, a Great Police Captain from St. Louis, who was viciously shot and killed by despicable looters last night. We honor our police officers, perhaps more than ever before. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/0ouUpoJEQ4
And in Serena's case, her family really did almost lose their business.
Watch another clip below from the altercation that happened last Saturday, and keep your ears open for a rioter asking the family whether they have insurance:
Corbo's Bakery Cleveland Oh #protecting their business!! pic.twitter.com/7rilKfUx9K
— Christopher Baughman (@CFBAUGHMAN) May 31, 2020
The discussion on FNC concluded with Serena describing the business's plan to reopen.
"So like I said, we were planning to reopen on Monday. We're waiting for our window to get fixed and of course we're going to move on. We stand strong, we are going to do what we have to do," she said.
Now, unlike other people who've taken heat for standing up to the mob, in the Corbo family's case they've received nonstop praise — some of it coming from their fellow Italians. For if there's one thing that's true about Italians, it's that they don't take any bullschiff!
Look (*Language warning):
Italians take care of their own! Love this!
— Carrie Chavez (@CarrieC20679107) June 1, 2020
God these guys are SO badass!!!!
— Corey (@CobraHy) June 1, 2020
Italians! The original gangsters! Dolce Vita! RT @pdq44131: Corbo's Italian Bakery, in downtown Cleveland, told rioters to fuck off… And they did. pic.twitter.com/EZeHtsdNdp
— Pentecost Toad (@ToadonaWire) June 1, 2020
pic.twitter.com/poU7wJ7CeZ
— Grant M. Francis (@GrantMFrancis) June 1, 2020
V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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