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DOJ probes Poetica
The US Department of Justice opened a civil rights probe into Poetica Coffee after the New York coffee chain said it would not serve Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman over his support for Israel.
“The United States Department of Justice has opened a civil rights probe into a New York coffee chain that announced it would not serve a Democratic lawmaker over his support for Israel”
Harmeet K. Dhillon, the top civil rights prosecutor at the Justice Department, said on Monday that she had ordered the investigation after Poetica declared on social media that Goldman was not welcome at its stores.
Poetica’s since-deleted posts said, “Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?” and added, “Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away.”
Goldman, speaking to CNN’s Laura Coates on Monday, said, “I had such a nice interaction with the barista in the coffee shop,” describing how the barista allowed his daughter to use the bathroom and how he bought a coffee and left a large tip.
Goldman vs. Lander
Goldman told CNN that it was “sad” that the Brooklyn coffee shop banned him with a viral social media post during a Democratic primary election focused on Israel’s war in Gaza.
In the same CNN interview, Goldman said, “It’s a reflection, I think, of a sad state of affairs that without knowing me, we could have had such a nice interaction,” after Poetica’s posts referenced AIPAC and said it would have turned him away.
The controversy is playing out as Goldman faces a primary challenge Tuesday from former city comptroller Brad Lander, who is backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and has highlighted Goldman’s past support from AIPAC.
Lander denounced the coffee shop’s post in a statement to The New York Times, saying, “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,” while Goldman accused Lander of using AIPAC “as a dog whistle.”
Public accommodations at stake
Dhillon said the probe centers on whether Poetica violated federal public accommodation laws by banning Goldman based on protected characteristics, and she warned that the Civil Rights Division would bring an enforcement action if warranted.
“The Justice Department said Monday that it's investigating a chain of New York City coffee shops for banning a congressman over his support for Israel”
In an X post, Dhillon wrote, “Federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin,” and said, “These actions are not only reprehensible, they’re potentially illegal.”
Goldman pushed back on the investigation, telling CNN that he would rather the Justice Department focus on “investigating antisemitism against people who do not have a platform that I do, who are not elected officials.”
The incident also fed into the political fight over Israel in New York’s 10th congressional district, where Goldman is running against Brad Lander in the Democratic primary on Tuesday and where the coffee shop’s posts and refund claim became part of the broader campaign narrative.
