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Brownsville chief talk of town after "whites only" picture surfaces

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By Janice Broach - bio | email
This picture of Brownsville Police Chief Chris Lea is the talk of the town. This picture of Brownsville Police Chief Chris Lea is the talk of the town.
The funeral home Lea owns in Brownsville. The funeral home Lea owns in Brownsville.
Lea responded to people about the photo on his Facebook page. Lea responded to people about the photo on his Facebook page.

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BROWNSVILLE, TN -

(WMC-TV) – A picture of Brownsville Police Chief Chris Lea is the talk of the town, circulating on the internet and by text and Instagram.

"I've known him a long time," said Brownsville resident Brenda Person.  "I know his family and I just don't see him as being a racist."

The photo is of Chief Lea holding a piece of paper that says "White's Only."

Lea, who owns a funeral home in Brownsville, responded to people on his Facebook page, saying the photo was taken three years ago at the funeral home.  He said it was on a crumpled up piece of paper he found.

He said showed it to a group of people, one of them an African-American, and they laughed about the senselessness of it and a few people took a picture of it with Lea holding it.

Lea said he had forgotten about the photo until it just popped up.  Who put the photo out is the question on many minds.

Our crews wanted to talk with Chief Lea, and were told he had left the police department.  We left a message at the funeral home and a resident in the town called him and let him know we wanted to talk with him. He has not called us back.

We couldn't find anyone who dislikes Chief Lea or believes he is a racist.

"Chris Lea is a good guy as far as I know," said one resident. "Just got blown out of proportion," said another.

Scottie Morris, Brownsville resident, thinks there might be a lesson in this time of the internet and cameras everywhere.

"Anybody can take it and put it on the internet and whatever," said Morris. "Best thing to do is destroy it."

While everyone we talked to told me they liked Chief Lea, clearly someone does not and there are some negative comments on Lea's Facebook page.  We called Lea's cell phone and he still has not returned our calls.

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