A dispute that began with a simple coffee run has escalated into a federal matter. The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division says it has opened an investigation after a Brooklyn business, Poetica coffee, banned a local congressman over his stance on Israel, turning an online controversy into a question for federal authorities.
At the center of it is Congressman Dan Goldman, who is in one of the most closely watched races in Tuesday's primary for the 10th congressional district. The timing means the incident has landed in the middle of an active election, drawing extra attention to both the congressman and the cafe.
The controversy started over the weekend with a since-deleted social media post from Poetica coffee. The post showed a photo of Goldman at the shop's 7th Avenue location in Park Slope, making clear that he had been singled out by name and image rather than turned away quietly.
The language of the post was pointed. It read, in part, that at Poetica, the shop does not serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers or anyone in between. The post added that the cafe had refunded Goldman's order and told him, in its words, never to come back to Poetica.
Goldman responded to the episode, and the post was later taken down. His reply was described as measured rather than combative, and the removal of the original message did little to quiet the broader debate that the incident had already set off across social media.
The flashpoint did not emerge in isolation. It comes less than a month after members of a Park Slope food co-op voted to boycott products from Israel, signaling that tensions over the issue have been building in the neighborhood and now extend to how local businesses treat customers.
With the Civil Rights Division now examining the matter, the case moves beyond a viral post and into a formal review. Efforts were made to reach the owner of Poetica coffee for comment on multiple occasions, but as of the report there had been no response from the business.