A social media tête-a-tête between a New York City coffee shop and a Democrat in Congress has caught the attention of the federal government.
Poetica Coffee, a chain of half a dozen locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, told Rep. Dan Goldman he was no longer welcome in their stores for his support of Israel. The store made the declaration in a since-deleted Instagram post accompanying what appeared to be a surveillance image of the lawmaker standing by the register.
“Hey @repdangoldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide guide?” the Poetica social media post started.
“See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between. Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away,” the post continued, also claiming to refund his money. “Don’t ever come to Poetica.”
The New York Democrat, currently running for re-election against challenger Brad Lander in Tuesday’s primary election, responded on Instagram, “I’m sorry to see this post.”
“The barista could not have been nicer to my 7-yr-old daughter and me — allowing her to use the bathroom even though we had not purchased anything. I made sure to buy a coffee in return for her kindness. I hope you at least make sure she gets the tip that she deserved,” Goldman’s account said back.
The exchange quickly caught attention online and lead to Poetica Coffee apparently deactivating its Instagram account.
Federal government officials also said the coffee business was being investigated.
“The [DOJ Civil Rights Division] is aware of the denial of service taunts to @danielgoldman by Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn,” Harmeet Dillon, an DOJ assistant attorney general, wrote Monday on X.
“Federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin,” she continued.
Goldman, in an interview with CNN, said he would rather the Justice Department focus its efforts “investigating antisemitism against people who do not have a platform that I do.”
The lawmaker’s past support of Israel and AIPAC has been a significant issue in his primary election, and one of several that set him apart from Lander, the city’s former comptroller.
A rally against Poetica has been scheduled for Wednesday morning outside of the coffee shop’s Williamsburg location.
0 Comments