The owner of a well-reviewed Bushwick coffee shop took to Instagram on Wednesday to tell the world that just about the only thing worse than a bad coffee is a greedy Jew.
Why is this new, artisanal coffee shop (simply known as the Coffee Shop) mad at the People of the Bagel? Because they’re gentrifying, silly, and pushing out real Bushwick residents, like proprietors of fancy coffee shops. Hello, pot. Meet kettle.
Of course, that might not be the real reason, as his Instagram screed is barely intelligible, reading, in part:
My stubborn Bushwick-oroginal neighbor is a hoarder and a mess- true.. and he’s refused selling his building for lots and lots of money. His building and treatment of it makes the hood look much less attractive and I would like him to either clean up or move along. BUT NOT be bought out by Jews however, who in this case (and many cases separate- SORRY!) function via greed and dominance. A laymen’s terms version of a story would simply be- buying buildings, cutting apartments in half, calling them luxurious, and ricing them at double. Bushwick IS rising and progressing, and bettering, but us contributing or just appreciating this rise and over all positive change do not want to be lumped with greedy infiltrators.
Further clues are found on the shop’s Facebook page, where owner Michael Avila posted a video praising ultraorthodox Jews for opposing Zionism. “I love LOVE these Jews [smiley emoticon],” he wrote. “These men have the right idea.” On his personal Facebook page, he acknowledged the controversy, writing, “Sometimes I cause a little trouble just because I know I can handle it. I’m pretty good with the fine line so I go for it.” (There’s expanded anti-Jewish ranting, too.) Yeah, that “fine line” post seems like hubris now.
Avila explained himself to DNAinfo, saying, “I think they [Jews] took it personally even if it doesn’t to apply to them. Sometimes I feel misunderstood. I’m fine with being misunderstood. I’m quite used to it. I don’t really mind.” (This post originally featured a photo of Avila with Giovanni Finotto, a man Avila identified as his mentor. Finotto has vehemently disavowed Avila’s comments, saying, “Regardless of excuses he has made, claiming that he was misunderstood, his behavior is completely inexcusable.”)
Disagreeing with Zionism is one thing. Expanding your views into a rant about greedy Jews in Brooklyn? Quite another. And that’s unfortunate, since by most accounts, the coffee was good. Now it just smells like decaf. And anti-Semitism.
This post has been updated throughout.
