The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division announced Monday that it has launched a probe into Poetica Coffee, a Brooklyn-based chain, following a social media post in which the business publicly stated it would not serve U.S. Representative Dan Goldman. The shop issued a refund for the congressman’s purchase and declared it would not serve “genocide enablers,” citing Goldman’s support for Israel.
The controversy began Sunday when Poetica posted a photo of Rep. Goldman at their Park Slope location, accusing him of supporting “genocide” regarding the war in Gaza. The shop’s post explicitly stated they would have turned him away had they recognized him sooner and included references to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Goldman, who was in the store to buy coffee after staff kindly allowed his young daughter to use the restroom, later stated he hoped the barista would still receive a tip for her courtesy.
Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, argued the incident violates state human rights laws, calling the targeting of Jewish public officials based on policy disagreements a form of antisemitism. While the coffee shop’s website claims to treat all customers with “unconditional dignity,” the public backlash has sparked a debate over the limits of private business policies regarding political speech. Even Brad Lander, Goldman’s political opponent, criticized the shop’s actions, noting that turning businesses into exclusionary spaces is not an appropriate form of political expression.