Coffee shop owner closes business after daughter posts anti-cop Facebook status
A coffeehouse owner in Massachusetts has shut down her business over controversial remarks her daughter made about police on Facebook.
“I’ve lost my business and I’ve lost my daughter ... I don’t know how this story just keeps building, but I need people to leave me alone. I’m closing my business so I can stop being harassed,” Kato Mele told The (Lynn, Massachusetts) Daily Item. Her shop, White Rose Coffeehouse, is only one year old.
On October 13, Mele’s 23-year-old daughter Sophie posted a statement to her personal Facebook page stating she would never allow her family’s establishment to host a “Coffee with a Cop” event because they’re “bullies” and “racist killers.” The comment was posted without Mele’s permission and allegedly provoked violent threats toward Mele’s business and her daughter, who was immediately fired from a management position.
In a letter to Lynn Police Department, Mele apologized for her daughter’s actions, writing, “Make no mistake: I am incredibly proud of them and what they do.”
For more caffeine, check out the world’s best cities for coffee.
More to Read
Eat your way across L.A.
Get our weekly Tasting Notes newsletter for reviews, news and more.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.