Sign outside Tampa Law firm sparks backlash on social media

The sign outside the Trentalange and Kelley Law Firm changes every day, but when the sign was changed to read “Stop Killing Unarmed Black Men Now,” the reaction on social media was swift and harsh.

“Must be an office full of cop haters,” one user wrote on Facebook.

“When you publicly post a message of anti-police sentiment, such as ‘Stop Killing Unarmed Blacks’, you have shown you no longer concern yourselves with the legal process,” wrote another.

Attorney Mike Trentalange was surprised by the outrage over the sign and bemoaned the state of the nation because of it. “If the statement ‘Stop Killing Unarmed Black Men Now’ is anti-police, then we have a much bigger problem that anyone can imagine,” he said.

“I would think that would be an uncontroversial statement, but some people on the Facebook page took the position that sometimes it’s okay to kill unarmed people, which I find to be absolutely amazing,” he told News Channel 8.

Still, not all the messages posted to the firm’s Facebook page were filled with vitriol. “Good for them for taking a stand. Their sign doesn’t mention a cop. It’s just is asking for young men to stop dying. You have to wonder what your issue with that might be,” wrote one Facebook user.

The sign has been up for at least a week, and, despite the backlash, it’s still there.