. They were ordered to take him to Ben Taub General Hospital, but instead of doing so, the officers brought him back to the banks of Buffalo Bayou and pushed him into the water. Mr. Torres's body was found in a Houston bayou on May 9, 1977, two days after he was arrested by Mr. Denson and other officers in a latenight barroom disturbance. On the night of May 5, 1977, Houston police officers arrested Jos Campos Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. While speakers from the La Raza Unida party, the Texas Farmworkers Union, the Barrios Unidos en Defensa and the Torres family addressed the crowd, the father of the dead man, Joe Torres Sr., watched with his wife Margaret. If you are experiencing playback problems, check the minimum requirements and adjust your setup accordingly. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Material supplied by VTNA may be used for educational analysis or research only. In 1977 Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Two of their fellow officers were given immunity from prosecution in return for their testimony in state court against the pair; one other officer faces related misdemeanor charges, and one, a rookie who reported the incident to superiors, remains on the 2,900-member Houston police force. After their conviction in March of last year, Judge Sterling sentenced the three former officers, all of whom were dismissed by the Houston Police Department within hours of the discovery of Mr. Torres's body, to a year in prison on the misdemeanor charge. Terry Denson was married to Tennie E. (Kimbrough) Denson on October 28, 1971 in Harris County, Texas. Rather than transport him to jail for booking, the six responding officers first took Torres to "The Hole," an isolated area behind a warehouse along Buffalo Bayou. Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando two of the arresting officers were charged with murder following the discovery of Torres' body. For years, [HPD] operated with impunity, he says. Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Oops! Houston Police lineup in riot gearin the 1978 Moody Park riots.. Houston Police in riot gearin the 1978 Moody Park riots.. Houston police make arrests in the 1978 Moody Park riots. The department wanted to rebuild its reputation fast. Austin, TX 78751, Grand Jury Investigation into the Death of Jos Campos Torres (1977). At least 22 persons were arrested at a city park after violence broke out in the chiefly Mexican-American neighborhood following a disturbance which led to vandalism and bottle throwing among the estimated mob of 1,500 persons. (Studio) Report on conviction of 3 former Houston policemen accused of violating civil rights of Mex.-American who drowned while in their custody. Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder. All six officers were found guilty of violating Torres' civil rights, and given a ten-year suspended sentence. They were able to gain the trust of victims and witnesses because they knew how Hispanic Houstonians really lived.. Jose "Joe" Campos Torres, shown in a photo held by his sister Janie Torres in 1998, was arrested after a 1977 Cinco de Mayo disturbance. The appeals court did not specify the severity of the sentences to be imposed, however, and John Wilson, a Justice Department spokesman in Washington, said that no further appeals would be forthcoming because the judge had acted within the limits of the order.. Officials at the jail refused to book Torres due to his injuries, and told the officers to bring him to a hospital. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers to a year's probation and a $1 fine. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Joe Campos Torres. In interviews with members of the Chicano Squad, the podcast shines a light on its predicament. They're dead, Michael C. Ramsey, one of the defense lawyers, said of the Justice Department's appeal effort, which he termed frivolous. Mr. Ramsey said he considered today's sentences a victory for the additional reason that the three defendants would no longer have to face the five years probation originally imposed by the Judge. Protesters met at Commerce and San Jacinto near the site where the body of Joe Campos Torres was found May 8. We want to let the people know what kind of person he was and what he meant to my family,' Molina said. The trials drew national attention, and HPDs newly minted internal affairs unit was overwhelmed with complaints. The comments below have not been moderated. Sentencing offenders to perform humiliating tasks like shoveling manure, he became known as the "King of Shame." The squad did not have a single fatal officer-involved shooting during its three-decade tenure. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. Facebook gives people the power to. Although members of the Houston police force have previously been accused of brutality against prisoners, the Torres case is the first such incident to be brought to trial. Because the felony and misdemeanor sentences are concurrent, the three will probably serve less than a year in prison. Past charges of brutality against Houston Police Department noted. Reuben Bonilla of Corpus Christi, who heads the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in Texas, called the verdict "the most deplorable and unconscionable in recent memory," and said he fears Hispanic-American violence unless the Justic Department acts promptly to bring a federal case against the officers. Campos Torres was beaten by six officers for hours before they took him to the city jail. Attorneys for the three defendants said they would probably appeal the verdict. The former policemen had been on trial in connection with the drowning death of her son. Defense attorney Bob Bennett and his client, Terry Denson, exit the courtroom to deliver comments to the press. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. The Department of Justice is supposed to fill that leadership role at a national level. Houston. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican-American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. Abe Weiner, owner of the Leonard's Department Store in the same shopping center which suffered looting and smoke damage, said the store burned over an hour before firemen responded to the call for help. A third officer, J.J. Janish, was charged with misdemeanor assault. We report on vital issues from politics to education and are the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering everything from music to cultural events with insightful recommendations. The convicted former officers are Terry W. Denson, 27, and Stephen Orlando, 22. 6:00AM, Kinetic Celebrates Womens History Month with a World Premiere, What Your Favorite Mainline Final Fantasy Game Says About You. Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' 512-485-3073 We can only hope that the next congressional delegation brings along Sessions so that he, too, can learn the story of Joe Campos Torres and Chief Caldwell. On April 3, a plaza, a monument, a huge portrait, and a walking trail were all unveiled and dedicated to remembering a man brutally murdered by Houston police almost 45 years ago. Forty years ago Torres was killed by police in an incident that sparked massive riots across Houston. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights violations and served nine months in prison. In 1977, Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. The case, in which the officers could have received sentences of life in prison, has been the focus of many charges of police brutality against Hispanic citizens. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers. Police responded to a call at the park on the evening of May 7, 1978, and as the crowd began chanting Justice for Jose Torres, a riot broke out. 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Robert Bennett, attorney for Mr. Denson, who had been specifically charged with pushing Mr. Torres into the water, said that he would argue against a prison sentence for his client. Hernandez, Raymond Gonzalez, and Jose Selvera Jr. On top of their translating work in the field, the squad was also tasked with investigating 52 cases that experienced detectives on the force hadnt been able to crack. Note to sponsor members: The Vanderbilt Television News Archive video player requires a modern operating system and browser to work properly. info@texasarchive.org Police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. When do the clocks change in 2023? Five months after Torress murder, an all-white jury found Denson and Orlando guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanor. Consider it our city's version of the Ferguson protests. Complaints against members of the Houston Police Department may be initiated in person to a supervisor at any police substation throughout the City of Houston, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. According to the podcast, between 1950, when the police department hired its first Hispanic officer, and 1970, HPD had hired fewer than 20 Hispanic officers. If I didnt tell you that this story took place forty years ago, you might think it had just happened, Alonzo told me. A lot has changed since 1979 at HPD, but community policing is really important, Moravec says. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. And as Mosqueda recalls, many non-Latino officers were happy to throw around the word wetbackthe same pejorative hurled at Torres before his death. 3908 Avenue B, Suite 105 Janie Torres is the sister of Jose "Joe" Campos Torres, who on May 5, 1977 was beaten and thrown into Buffalo Bayou by Houston police officers. You may visit the Television News Archive on the Vanderbilt campus to view on-site from the Archive's collection. Any editing, reproduction, publication, rebroadcast, public showing or public display may be prohibited by copyright laws. The pain is a lot deeper than what you could have ever imagined. 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According to the Houston Police Department, officers spotted a black Honda Accord that was reported stolen out of College Station at about 5:10 p.m. near Fairbanks North Houston and West Little York. The location is just off the 1200 block of Commerce. Carlos Calbillo sits on railing near Buffalo Bayou near Commerce Street, the area where his friend Joe Campos Torres was killed by police in 1977. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. Before that he was a member of the Houston law firm of Vinson, Elkins, to which John B. Connally, the Republican presidential candidate, also belongs. Torres subsequently drowned. The apology to Torres' family was the first by any city official, and Finner promised to work with the family to build a monument in Torres' name. The jury returned a probated sentence of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. Mr. Orlando and Mr, Denson were convicted last October of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, after a jury acquitted the two former police officers of the murder charge. A local boat operator called the police, identifying Torres by the military dog tags still hanging around his neck. Its possible.. Divers were hoping to find a wallet belonging to Torres. You were a victim [of a crime], so Im going to treat you as a victim. This has destroyed all of us. The three former officers are to be sentenced late next month. In 1977, Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Rather than transport him to jail for booking, the six responding officers first took Torres to "The Hole," an isolated area behind a warehouse along Buffalo Bayou. See the article in its original context from. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. Surviving members of Torres' family also spoke on Sunday. Hector J. Garcia of Houston, chairman of the Coalition for Responsible Law Enforcement, whose group has been meeting with police officials since last April, said violent police incidents here show no sign of abating. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools. A convenience store/drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton is vandalized by riotersin the 1978 Moody Park riots. "The environment that created the Torres case continues to exist," Garcia said, "and we can expect a continuation of the same kind of thing.". A group of Houston police cadets gathered Friday morning to hear family members of Joe Campos Torres speak of their loved one's death by officers in 1977. . Sometimes it's our sports teams, sometimes it's the happenings over at NASA, a breakthrough at the Medical Center or our atrocious weather that's in the headlines. Given the departments broken relationship with the Latino community, making headway on the cases would be extremely difficult, especially because of the officer recruitment problem. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. Joining HPD was regarded almost as a betrayal. After a jail booking officer refused to accept Torres because of his injuries and ordered him taken to a hospital, the officers returned to the secluded spot, where one of them allegedly pushed him over a 17-foot embankment into the water after saying, "Let's see if this wetback can swim.". Two days after Torres was arrested, his mangled body was found floating in Buffalo Bayou. (Two activists, Travis Morales and Mara Youngdahl, were later fined a total of $9,000 on misdemeanor riot charges.). 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