The refund was $9.82, and it arrived without being asked for. When Rep. Dan Goldman bought a coffee at Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn this week, the shop’s staff did not recognize him until later, so they issued a refund and posted a note telling him never to return.
The shop’s founder, Parviz Mukhamadkulov, then turned the transaction into a political statement. On Facebook, Poetica told Goldman it had seen him stop by for a coffee and asked whether it did not “taste like genocide juice.” The post went on to say the shop does not serve “racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between” and claimed the money he spent was “probably coming from AIPAC anyways.”
Goldman, who represents New York’s 10th District covering Lower Manhattan and western Brooklyn, said he had stopped in only as a courtesy after the shop let his 7-year-old daughter use the restroom. “I was just so startled and surprised because I had had such a nice interaction with the barista,” he told the Post. “And then to be on the receiving end of that was really startling.”
Asked about the incident on Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has been stumping for left-wing congressional candidates, did not condemn the shop. “I have many political disagreements with Congressman Goldman when it comes to his votes and his views on Israel,” Mamdani said, adding, “What we saw online goes beyond that.”
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said it has opened an investigation and warned that an enforcement action could follow. Goldman, who is facing a primary challenge from Brad Lander, the former city comptroller whom Mamdani has endorsed, said he did not know what effect the episode would have. He called it “a reflection unfortunately of the sad state of affairs we are in that this degree of anger and vitriol and hate is being normalized by some.”
At a Brooklyn polling site, one voter said the episode sharpened his choice. “I think I was going to vote for him anyway but that kind of reminded me why,” said Alex, 51.
Sources
- Mamdani fails to condemn NYC coffee shop that banned, attacked Dan Goldman for pro-Israel views
- Social media erupts over Mamdani's silence after Brooklyn coffee shop bans Jewish congressman – Briefly
