‘Don’t Ever Come Back’: Coffee Shop Targets Jewish Congressman

Poetica Coffee thumbed its nose at Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) after he bought a cup of coffee Sunday.

In a Facebook post later in the day, the official account posted, “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?”

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“See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between,” the post snidely continued. “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,” the post warned in conclusion.

Alongside the post was a picture of the congressman and his refund.

According to the shop’s welcome statement on its website, “The guest is sacred because the act of welcoming is how a community keeps itself intact.”

“Whoever walks through the door is treated with unconditional dignity,” the statement adds. “Not as a customer. Not as a transaction. As someone who arrived and deserves to be welcomed.”

Goldman responded on social media, explaining that he had bought the coffee as a courtesy because he had brought his seven-year-old daughter into the shop to use the restroom.

“I am sorry to see this post,” he said in a statement. “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,” he added. “I hope you at least make sure she gets the tip that she deserved.”

The coffee shop did not issue a statement about the incident, and staffers declined to comment. When asked about it, one staffer said, “No comment. We stand against genocide.”

Goldman’s opponent in the congressional race, Brad Lander, said the coffee shop had gone too far, erroneously adding that he was glad it had taken down the post (it hadn’t).

“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,” he said. “I’m glad Poetica took down their post, and I thought Rep. Goldman’s reply was extremely gracious.”

Jewish civil rights lawyers and activists said that Poetica Coffee may have broken anti-discrimination laws.

This incident “absolutely violates New York’s human rights laws that bar discrimination,” said Mark Treyger, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. “The nature of the social media post leaves serious questions about the business’s practices that warrant a thorough review under City and State human rights law.”

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has launched an investigation into the coffee shop “and will bring an enforcement action if warranted,” it said in a statement.