'I've Lost My Business And I've Lost My Daughter'

LYNN, MA — Kato Mele has publicly apologized for the comments made by the manager of her coffee shop. She even fired the 23-year-old — no easy feat considering it was her own daughter.

But the threats didn't stop. The negative spotlight didn't dim. And now she's closing up shop.

"I'm closing my business so I can stop being harassed," Mele told the Lynn Item.

Watch: 'I've Lost My Business And I've Lost My Daughter'

Her daughter, Sophie CK, was the manager of White Rose Coffeehouse in Central Square when she posted on Facebook that she would not allow the nationwide "Coffee with a Cop" events at her coffee shop. The Item reported that post sparked a bitter debate in which CK called police "racist killers," among other things.

The thread became a repository of anger and hatred, including death and rape threats against Sophie. So she took her Facebook page down and went into hiding, Mele said.

Mele apologized for her daughter's comments, inviting law enforcement to her store to make amends. The cops didn't come, and neither did the usual crowd.

Attempts to reach Mele for this story were unsuccessful.

"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," she told the Item.

Police Chief Michael Mageary told The Item that Mele's daughter has the right to say what she wants, but that he didn't expect officers would be stopping in anytime soon.

An opinion piece in the Item said Mele, 50, had sold her home and used retirement savings to open White Rose just a year ago.

A Lynn attorney who has frequented White Rose but asked that his name not be used because residents are on edge regarding this matter, said the situation "is an unfortunate event that has impacted more people than it should. The owner, the staff, the landlord, the arts and musician community and the local police."

White Rose was primed to be a go-to spot for a gentrifying Central Square area. The Vault, an apartment building featuring luxury offerings in the historic Flatiron building, had just opened. Lots of young, wealthy customers were supposed to flock there for their morning cup of coffee.

Instead, it will close.

"This is completely out of control," Mele told the Item. "I just want to be left alone."

Image via shutterstock