Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn came under fire after its disgusting post about Jewish pro-Israel Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) went viral.
The move comes a month after the Park Slope Food Co-op voted to boycott products from Israel.
Goldman purchased a coffee after the barista allowed his young daughter to use the restroom.
The coffee shop, which claims everyone is welcome, blasted Goldman in a now-deleted Facebook post that played “F*ck You* by Lily Allen with a picture of a refund:
“Hey Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?” the post stated, seemingly referring to Goldman’s support for Israel and accusations that the nation has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza.“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. We issued you a refund—we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don’t ever come to Poetica.”
There it is!! AIPAC. The ultimate boogeyman to the radical left.
Goldman gave a classy and graceful response:
I’m sorry to see this post. The barista could not have been nicer to my 7-year-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.
Let’s wander over to Poetica’s website, shall we?
Oh! Would you look at that!
Poetica claims that “the guest is sacred, the books are unbanned, and the door is open to everyone.”
More:
A mahalla is a neighborhood. But in Uzbek tradition, it carries obligations. When a guest arrives, the entire neighborhood organizes. Tea and bread before questions. A seat before an invitation. The guest is sacred because the act of welcoming is how a community keeps itself intact.Parviz brought that logic to Brooklyn. In practice, it looks like a café where the door doesn’t close on anyone, where tea gets poured before anyone asks who you are.
You know, unless you support Israel. It doesn’t help, Poetica, that you lashed out at a Jewish person, too.
Goldman faces a tough primary to hold his House seat. However, former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, his opponent, defended Goldman:
Goldman and his opponent in Tuesday’s primary election, former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, have taken different positions on issues related to Israel. In this case, Lander sided with Goldman.”There are plenty of ways to lobby elected officials and express outrage at the votes they’ve taken without turning coffee shops into places people don’t feel welcome,” Lander wrote in a statement. “I’m glad Poetica took down their post, and I thought Rep. Goldman’s reply was extremely gracious.”
I’m a free speech purist. Let the market decide because I sure as hell won’t visit a place that pulls this stunt. Just don’t be shocked when your actions have consequences.
But America has laws against discrimination. Yes, believe it or not, those laws also protect Jews and people who support Israel.
Shocking, right?
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon confirmed her division opened an investigation into the incident:
The @CivilRights is aware of the denial of service taunts to @danielsgoldman by Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn.Federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin. These actions are not only reprehensible, they’re potentially illegal. The Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation, and will bring an enforcement action if warranted.If you have been denied service at a public accommodation on the basis of a protected characteristic, we at @TheJusticeDept want to know!
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