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Lieutenant Edwards is a member of the Los Angeles Police Department. Edwards is a racist man who has a long personal history with Henry, since he was the first person to arrest Henry, though he did so wrongfully, since he unfairly assumed that Henry had stolen a car (the car belonged to Henry’s father). When Edwards and his colleague Sergeant Smith arrest Henry and the rest of the 38th Street Gang on suspicion of murder, Edwards shows no sympathy toward them, though he does pretend to care about Henry by saying that he won’t interfere with his plans to join the Navy the following day if he tells him who killed José Williams. Henry doesn’t tell Lieutenant Edwards anything, though, so Edwards continues to treat him in a condescending, authoritarian manner.
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Lieutenant Edwards Character Timeline in Zoot Suit
The timeline below shows where the character Lieutenant Edwards appears in Zoot Suit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 1, Scene 2: The Mass Arrests
...emerge with their guns out, yelling as a reporter takes pictures of the chaos. Lieutenant Edwards yells that everyone must put their hands up while his associate, Sergeant Smith, sees a...
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Act 1, Scene 4: The Interrogation
A member of the press enters with Lieutenant Edwards and Sergeant Smith, reading aloud a headline, which clarifies that the police arrested 22 members...
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Moving on, Edwards reminds Henry that the country is at war in Europe. This, he claims, is why...
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As Lieutenant Edwards tries to reason with Henry, Smith tells Edwards to stop, saying that it’s futile to...
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Act 1, Scene 5: The Press
...the case of the Sleepy Lagoon murder. Meanwhile, a group of reporters flock to Lieutenant Edwards, asking him about the case and wanting to know more about the “Mexican crime wave”...
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Moving on, a reporter asks Edwards if he was really the first person to arrest Henry, and Edwards says that he...
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