Tennessee lawmaker under fire after interview comments A Republican lawmaker from Chattanooga is under fire for comments made during a local TV interview in which he blamed “inner city” obesity partly on people eating fried chicken and criticized local police hiring practicesCHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- A Republican lawmaker from Chattanooga is under fire for comments made during a local TV interview in which he blamed “inner city” obesity partly on people eating fried chicken and criticized the local police department's hiring practices. Because ... they go to a 7-Eleven or a convenience store, there’s fried chicken so they get them some fried chicken on the way home and have dinner on that. Well, that’s the worst thing you can eat,” state Sen. Todd Gardenhire, who is white, said in an interview with WTVC-TV, which was aired Thursday. Also during the interview, Gardenhire briefly suggested that a police officer should not arrest a person caught driving drunk, but should instead drive that individual home if the officer knows the person. Gardenhire criticized the local police chief for not working with the community to boost diversity among the police department.

Source: ABC News October 16, 2020 18:45 UTC