A famous quote from civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made Woodbury attorney Randolph Richardson II address controversial lawyer and social media blogger Norm Pattis on LinkedIn Tuesday.

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends," the quote goes.

Pattis has been writing about the fallout of the May 25 killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, which sparked protests across the globe. His latest LinkedIn comments related to slavery and Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the abolition of slavery in the U.S.

"Juneteenth a legal holiday?" Pattis wrote. "Martin Luther King's birthday is insufficient? I gather we're no longer observing Columbus Day."

Richardson said he found the posts so reckless that he felt a need to challenge the New Haven attorney.

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"I spoke up because of what Dr. King said," said Richardson, a partner with Giuliano Richardson & Sfara. "I feel like we are in a position that, like the saying goes, 'If you see something, say something.' From my perspective, the time for being silent is well past us."

'Use that noggin'

Richardson responded asking: "What was MLK's contribution to ending slavery?"

And Pattis countered: "That's like asking what ending slavery has to do with fostering racial equality. I know it's early, but use that noggin."

Richardson then asked Pattis, "So your beef is that black people already have one holiday."

Pattis responded: "Yes." Then added, "I wouldn't call it a beef, but to simplify things: Yes."

The exchange between the lawyers came as several large law firms across the country have announced they are enacting work holidays to commemorate June 19, known as Juneteenth.

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It also followed an incident, from about two weeks earlier, when Pattis sparred with another attorney over "white privilege" and racism.

Pattis has represented several high-profile and controversial clients, including Fotis Dulos, who was accused of killing his wife. That case garnered national attention until Dulos killed himself in January. The attorney also represented right-wing radio host Alex Jones, who called the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting a government hoax, before walking the statement back. Pattis withdrew from representing Jones in May, but has since declined to discuss why.

"I am grateful for readers, but as for the rent they demand for the space I am renting in their heads, well, no comment," he said about his latest online spat. "I am not sure I know who Mr. Richardson is."

Meanwhile, Richardson, whose daughter is a lead organizer of the Black Lives Matter rallies in Southbury, said, he found Pattis' comments on celebrating more than one holiday to be the most offensive.

"The idea that black people have their holiday, so shut up, well how is that not offensive?" he asked. "What is Norm Pattis' reason for this? I don't know. He can choose to explain or not to explain, and good luck in doing that."

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