This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. The department wanted to rebuild its reputation fast. Unfortunately, Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III has made it clear he has no interest in putting federal pressure on local police departments that need reform. Anyone can read what you share. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. and help keep the future of the Houston Press, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, HPD Investigating Victims' Crime Advocate Andy Kahan, A Murder in Montrose: the Paul Broussard Legacy. "The community had this insurrection in the face of the brutality of the Houston Police Department," Carlos Calbillo, a community historian and filmmaker who made a documentary about the Torres case, told the Houston Chronicle in 2011. 1977, Houston Police officer Terry Denson yelled, "Let's see if this wetback can swim!" Denson, along with five other white policemen (Louis Kinney, Glen Brinkmeyer, Joseph Janish, Stephen Orlando, and Carless Elliot) had arrested Torres after responding to a complaint of a drunken 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. Judge Sterling has been criticized recently by some members of a Federal grand jury here that handed up antiracketeering indictments against two oilbrokering firms. The officers involved were found guilty of negligent homicide and ultimately given a year and a day in prison for civil rights violations. The killing of Torres - a Hispanic veteran arrested at an East End bar - was the spark that set off a series of protests, firings and reforms that eventually transformed the Houston Police Department into the modern crime-fighting institution that we know today. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. Torres' mother was quoted as saying, "If five Mexican killed a cop, it wouldn't be like this. While Bond says that he "cannot create a police review board," the Houston Police Department established the Internal Affairs Division soon after Torres' death to investigate police misconduct. "People rose-up and started throwing rocks and bottles at the police, overturning police cars and shouting 'Justice for Joe Torres' and 'Viva Joe Torres,'" Barthe said. Officers Terry Denson (left) and Stephen Orlando (right) were the only two officers convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, in the death of Torres, and each was fined $1 and given. See the article in its original context from. Im not an immigration officer. Poe served as a chief felony prosecutor for eight years before being appointed a state district judge in 1981. Defense attorney Mike Ramsey and his client, Steven Orlando, follow. Federal prosecutors termed the verdict a compromise, noting that the defendants were not found guilty of additional charges that they had conspired to obstruct justice by withholding information about the incident from Federal investigators. As the story goes, the 23-year-old was beaten so severely that authorities refused to accept him into the City Jail. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights. 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. 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. Testimony indicated that Oralando, who drove the patrol car in which Torres was transported, had encouraged Denson by "this would be a good time" to see if "the wetback" could swim. 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. In 1977 Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. During the research process, Moravec found that the Chicano Squad posted a consistently higher clearance rate than other HPD units. View the profiles of people named Terry Denson. This connection to Torres and to the officers on the Chicano Squad is what allows Alonzo to shine as a host. Terry W Denson of Harris County, Texas was born c. 1950. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. The judge received dismissed the case without explanation. 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. The Houston Police Department Chicano Squad, founded in 1979 after the killing of Jose Campos Torres. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Torres' nephew, Richard Molina, said the family is in communication with the city to find a proper way to memorialize his uncle. 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. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Attorneys for the three defendants pointed out that the new sentences, because they exceed one year, would render the former officers eligible for parole, which would not be the case had their sentences remained at precisely one year. The case became a national symbol of police brutality against Hispanics in the Southwest. Chicano Squad members recognized at City Hall, Houston, 2019. six responding Houston Police Department officers, one year of probation and fined them each $1. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. The convicted former officers are Terry W. Denson, 27, and Stephen Orlando, 22. Decades before the recent police violence in Memphis, a brutally beaten Latino man was tossed by officers into a Houston bayou and drowned. The summer of 1979, detective sergeant Jim Montero floated an idea past HPD chief Harry Caldwell: if he got permission to recruit a small group of Spanish-speaking patrol officers, he could train them to serve as translators in the field, helping the department to close the growing number of unsolved crimes in Houstons barrios. And though her mother instilled in her a love for the U.S., Alonzo was also aware that her identity as a Mexican American sometimes made her a target. This has destroyed all of us. According to sworn testimony, the officers then spreadeagled the prisoner against a patrol car, and Mr. Denson, after some discussion of what to do with the prisoner, said, Let's see if this wetback can swim. The prosecutors contended that Mr. Denson then pushed Mr. Torres into the bayou. Police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. HPD offers a rewarding career, exceptional benefits and a competitive salary. 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. Any time in the penitentiary would be unacceptable, Mr. Bennett said, adding that Mr. Denson was an outstanding public servant to this community.. The three former officers, Terry W. Denson, 29 years old, Joseph J. Janish, 25 and Stephen Orlando, 24, were found guilty in Judge Sterling's court last year of responsibility for the death by. 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. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. How the Houston Zoo moved its flock of flamingos to a new home, Why the Texans should take Bijan Robinson with the No. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. In addition to having a strong work ethic, Montero said, the officers should hail from the neighborhoods they would be policing. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Officer Terry W. Denson, 27, is charged with murder in Torres' death. Assistant District Attorney Ted Poe talks about coordination between the District Attorney's Office and the grand jury. View other clips in this broadcast . Divers search the Buffalo Bayou site where Joe Campos Torres' body was found floating May 8, 1977. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. 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. Killings, planted evidence and a federal discrimination lawsuit all provided the fuel that Torres' death set ablaze at an event known as the Moody Park Riot. His body would end up in the Buffalo Bayou, where it was found three days later. 512-485-3073 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. Terry Denson in Texas. By 1977, the year Torres was killed, HPD had hired just 161 Hispanic officers to serve a community with more than 200,000 Latino residents. HOUSTON, Oct. 30 Federal District Judge Ross N. Sterling, acting under orders from a Federal appeals court to impose prison terms on three former Houston police officers he had sentenced to probation for their roles in the death of a young MexicanAmerican man, today handed the three what amounted to an extra day in orison. And once the word got out, they trusted us.. The Cavaliers said . All six officers were found guilty of violating Torres' civil rights, and given a ten-year suspended sentence. In their barrios, things werent much better. By John M. Crewdson; Special to The New York Times. Attorneys for the three defendants said they would probably appeal the verdict. Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, drowned . In the wake of Torress death, frustrated residents of Houstons barrios staged rallies and protests around the city. . After adjustments, if you continue to experience problems, please contact us. info@texasarchive.org Ruben Bonilla, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, termed the sentences a shocking, obnoxious misuse of Federal power and urged that Judge Sterling be impeached. 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. Torres's body was found two days later. 09/13/1977 - Fired HPD officer Terry Denson, right, arrives for court at the Criminal Justice Center at Sam Houston State University where his trial for the May 6 murder of Joe Campos . The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. The two officers convicted in the Torres' case are expected to be sentenced within a few days. Torres drowned after he had been arrested by Houston police officers for creating a disturbance in an East End bar. The officers on trial, Stephen Orlando, 21 years old, and Terry Denson . 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. The trials drew national attention, and HPDs newly minted internal affairs unit was overwhelmed with complaints. A lot has changed since 1979 at HPD, but community policing is really important, Moravec says. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. 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. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 6:00AM, Kinetic Celebrates Womens History Month with a World Premiere, What Your Favorite Mainline Final Fantasy Game Says About You. The 14-year-old was cowering against the wall when he was shot. Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. It's been 40 years since 23-year-old Vietnam War veteran Joe Campos Torres' body was found washed up on the banks of the Buffalo Bayou. When you look at the records of some of their arrests, youll find lacerated livers, fractured skulls, broken hands. He drowned after being beaten by officers and thrown into Buffalo Bayou. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. It goes to show how those moments of crisis and scandal within our public institutions become important opportunities for forward-looking leaders. Houston's Chicano community found the fine especially hard to swallow, with chants of "A Chicano's life is only worth a dollar," reverberating through the neighborhood and throughout the country's Mexican-American communities. This unedited footage from Houston's KPRC-TV captures protesters outside the Houston Police Department headquarters on May 16, 1977. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. They couldnt fail. Anyone can read what you share. Bond resigned months later after only serving a year. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. Instead, they returned him to the hole, where they continued to beat him, and where he was either pushed or fell into the bayou. If you fill out the first name, last name, or agree to terms fields, you will NOT be added to the newsletter list. Reporters interview Harris County District Attorney Carol Vance, Divers search the depths of Buffalo Bayou for Torres' wallet, Protests outside the Harris County Courthouse. 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. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. Five of the officers were charged in the death, with two convicted of negligent homicide, and the other three convicted of violating Torres' civil rights. On May 8, Mr. Torres's body was found floating in the bayou. Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. All six officers were found guilty of violating Torres' civil rights, and given a ten-year suspended sentence. Updated: June 20, 2015. That sort of exchange previously would have been unimaginable. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. That trial took place in Huntsville, Tex., 70 miles north of Houston, because the defendants had said they could not get a fair trial in Houston. In the wake of Torres's death, frustrated residents of Houston's barrios staged rallies and protests around the city. The location is just off the 1200 block of Commerce. Phone 615-322-2927. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. He said it demonstrated once again that there is "a dual standard of justice" in Texas, adding, "Our only redress in the federal courts.". Instead of being transferred to Ben Taub Hospital for treatment, Torres was taken to a site along Buffalo Bayou near Commerce, where he either jumped or was pushed into the bayou. 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. Past charges of brutality against Houston Police Department noted. His body was found by a boater three days later. Following another beating, Campos Torres was pushed off the raised platform and fell 20 feet into the Bayou, where his body was found three days later. They were able to gain the trust of victims and witnesses because they knew how Hispanic Houstonians really lived.. Officers Terry Denson (left) and Stephen Orlando (right) were the only two officers convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, in the death of Torres, and each was fined $1 and given probation. The comments below have not been moderated. | 3908 Avenue B, Suite 105 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.. A new podcast explores the history of the Chicano Squad as part of a Houston police department effort to repair its broken relationship with the Latino community. Rather than taking him directly to the nearby jail, six responding Houston Police Department officers took a detour to a secluded spot near Buffalo Bayou that they called The Hole. Torres subsequently drowned. Its not uncommon for the stories of Latinos to be minimized or excluded entirely from Texas history books. All the while, she draws parallels to present-day discrimination against Latinos and the ongoing demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. Holland, 80, previously was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. According to Houston police, they got a call about a missing 3-year-old girl at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Family members and friends of his are working to win approval of historical markers at Moody Park to commemorate Torres' death and the community's reaction. In interviews with members of the Chicano Squad, the podcast shines a light on its predicament. In Chicano Squad, an eleven-episode podcast released in January by Vox Media, host and actress Cristela Alonzo follows Houstons attempts to grapple with the aftermath of Torress death, which included the creation of the first all-Latino homicide squad in the country. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen. ", State Rep. Ben Reyes of Houston, also a Mexican-American, called the verdict "pathetic" and "the worst miscarriage of justice that I've ever seen." 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. October 18, 2016 REPORTER: Dennis Murphy (KHOU-TV) Artist: Harris Milam. 3 EXPOLICE OFFICERS CONVICTED IN HOUSTON, https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/09/archives/3-expolice-officers-convicted-in-houston-found-guilty-in-civil.html. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. REPORTER: Walter Cronkite, (Houston, Texas) Background of case involving alleged beating of Joe Campos Torres, which resulted in his drowning, by officers Terry Wayne Denson, Stephen Orlando and Joseph Janish given. When the case was brought to federal court in February 1978, Denson, Orlando, and officer Joseph Janish were convicted of federal rights violations and were sentenced to one year in prison. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. Mr. Torres was arrested May 5 at Houston tavern on charges of disturbing the peace. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican-American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. (Studio) Report on conviction of 3 former Houston policemen accused of violating civil rights of Mex.-American who drowned while in their custody. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston pastor calls for state book ban, Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob arrives, Former KHOU anchor turns layoff into lucrative real estate career, The only Houston rodeo food guide you'll need, Report: Houston ranked No. Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. Dairy Queen Gets an Updated Jingle, Courtesy of Josh Abbott, Check Out Kilgores Treasure Trove of Vintage Cameras, Radios, and TVs, How Florence ButtNot Her SonLaunched the H-E-B Empire. "Let's see if the wetback can swim." With those words, Officer. Service station vandalized by riotersduring riot at Moody Park. Torres' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. 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. You may visit the Television News Archive on the Vanderbilt campus to view on-site from the Archive's collection. Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou. Brinkmeyer said Denson previously had boasted throwing a wino down a ravine and had beaten other hand-cuffed prisoners. 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. City officials vowed to memorialize Torres in some way, The worst thing for her, she said was that, 'No matter how many apologies we get, it can never change the fact because Joe, at the end, never got justice.'. By the following morning, 28 demonstrators had been taken into custody. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, where jailers refused to process him due to his injuries. Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Longtime Virginia men's basketball coach Terry Holland has died, the school announced Monday. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. . info@texasarchive.org A gutted variety store at a shopping center in the 3100 block of Fulton. Campos Torres was beaten by six officers for hours before they took him to the city jail. 'Our ultimate goal is humanizing our uncle at this point. On the night of May 5, 1977, Houston police officers arrested Torres at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. When Black and Latino communities are asking for change, some people treat it like an impossibility, she says. The family was surrounded by hundreds of supporters and friends as . The jury heard four weeks of testimony alleging that six police officers had taken Joe Campos Torres, 23, a laborer, from a cheap cantina, where he was arrested for public drunkeness, to a secluded spot near a bayou, where five of them beat him severely while his arms were handcuffed behind his back. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanor . 'My mother was never the same after Jose was killed,' his sister Janie Torres, who was 10 at the time her brother's death, said. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. The victim, Joe Campos Torres, 23, allegedly was dumped off the 25-foot retaining wall into the bayou last Friday. Dozens were arrested and 15 were injured as protesters clashed with police in one of the citys most notorious riots. Welcome! Sam Buyajian 33, surveys the wreckage of his drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton. Dolph Briscoe, prompted the Department of Justice to seek indictments against the former officers on charges of having violated Mr. Torres's civil rights. But as Alonzo points out: the squads role wasnt to patrol these neighborhoods, it was to solve the crimes that were plaguing them. 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