A Brooklyn neighborhood at the crossroads of culture and controversy
Groups of people have been filmed entering and exiting New York City sewers via maintenance holes at night. The NYPD and the Department of Environmental Protection are reviewing footage and say there is no damage to the sewer system; investigations continue with no arrests reported.
Poetica Coffee has refunded Rep. Dan Goldman and barred him from its Brooklyn and East Village outlets after a social-media post accused him of being a “genocide juice” target. The Civil Rights Division is examining possible public-accommodation discrimination, and Goldman says he visited the shop with his daughter to use the restroom and bought a coffee in gratitude for staff’s kindness.
Protests outside Poetica Coffee in Park Slope have escalated after a social media post accused the shop of banning a Jewish congressman over his support for Israel. The Justice Department has opened a civil-rights investigation into the incident as demonstrators clash with counter-protesters. The controversy has drawn national attention and sparked debate about discrimination and free speech.