[1][2] Edwards left the bench in October 2017 due to his appointment as Director of the Public Safety Department - City of St. Louis by Mayor Lyda Krewson.
[6] During an interview with Saint Louis public radio, Edwards stated that not all the minors who have died were "innocent bystanders", asserting that many of them were involved in criminal activities.
[8] Edwards statements were condemned in a joint resolution by thirteen Saint Louis activist organizations, including Action St. Louis, ArchCity Defenders, ACLU-Missouri, Metropolitan Congregations United, the Deaconess Foundation and the Organization for Black Struggle, writing "This kind of demonization of our children is shocking and unacceptable.
It builds on racist, dehumanizing tropes about Black children and distracts from the public policies that continue to deepen poverty and despair instead of investing resources to create safety and opportunity.
If this is what he thinks of children dying in the streets, it is no wonder that the response from public safety officials continues to focus on police, surveillance, and incarceration.