Justice Department opens probe into coffee chain's ban on lawmaker
Poetica Coffee said Representative Dan Goldman was unwelcome after visiting a Brooklyn cafe, prompting a federal civil rights investigation.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
The US Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into Poetica Coffee after the New York chain said it would not serve Representative Dan Goldman, a Democratic lawmaker known for supporting Israel. The inquiry raises questions about how public-accommodation laws apply when a business targets an elected official over political views.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, who leads the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said Monday on X that she had ordered the investigation, according to Al Jazeera. Dhillon, an appointee of President Donald Trump, said the department would pursue enforcement if investigators found grounds to do so.
Poetica Coffee, an Uzbek-inspired cafe chain with seven locations in Brooklyn and the East Village, posted on Facebook and Instagram on Sunday after Goldman visited its Lorimer Street location in Brooklyn with his daughter, Al Jazeera reported. The posts included a photo of Goldman at the cafe and said he should not come back.
According to Al Jazeera, Poetica accused Goldman in the posts of enabling genocide and said the business does not serve people it described as racists, fascists, homophobes or similar offenders. The company also said it had refunded the $9.82 Goldman spent during the visit.
Poetica Coffee and its founder, Parviz Mukhamadkulov, did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for comment.
Goldman says investigation is not his preference
Goldman criticized the episode in a CNN interview Monday, saying public debate had lost a sense of decency and proper conduct, according to Al Jazeera. But he also said he did not think federal officials should investigate the coffee chain over what happened to him.
Goldman told CNN he would prefer the Justice Department focus its resources on antisemitism directed at people without his public platform or elected position, Al Jazeera reported.
Al Jazeera reported that the legal basis for any Justice Department enforcement action was not clear. Federal law and New York state law bar businesses from denying service based on protected traits such as race, religion, sex and national origin, but those protections do not cover political belief or ideology, according to Al Jazeera.
Dispute follows criticism over Israel and Gaza
Goldman has described himself as a proud Zionist and strong supporter of Israel, according to Al Jazeera. He is facing a primary challenge from Brad Lander, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel.
During the current election cycle, Goldman received nearly $195,000 in campaign donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and affiliated groups, Al Jazeera reported. AIPAC supports pro-Israel candidates for office.
Goldman has rejected accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, while describing conditions in the enclave as horrific and calling for the war there to end, according to Al Jazeera. He has also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling his government extremist and opposing settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.