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.". Instead, they returned him to the hole, where they continued to beat him, and where he was either pushed or fell into the bayou. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. 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. The case became a national symbol of police brutality against Hispanics in the Southwest. Assistant District Attorney Ted Poe talks about coordination between the District Attorney's Office and the grand jury. 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. Powerful Commons committee could look at case for banning stoves in towns and Love Island hit by hundreds of Ofcom complaints from furious viewers over 'toxic femininity' row and Movie Carrie Johnson joins campaign for Joanna Simpson's killer BA pilot husband who bludgeoned her to death with 'I don't know if I can trust them': Mel B reveals she 'wouldn't call the police' over domestic violence - Houston police chief Troy Finner formally apologizes to family of Joe Campos Torres over 1977 death - ABC13 Houston, Do not sell or share my personal information. The jury returned a probated sentence of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. 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. Chief Bond comments on the function of the Civilian Review Board. The Government appealed, arguing that probation was not permissible in cases where the possible penalty was life in prison, as it is in Federal civil rights cases in which the victim has died. info@texasarchive.org Houston Police Chief B. G. "Pappy" Bond holds a press conference in his office. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen. We want to let the people know what kind of person he was and what he meant to my family,' Molina said. Its possible.. Anyone can read what you share. This is a carousel. The pain is a lot deeper than what you could have ever imagined. But Glenn L. Brinkmeyer, 25, one of those given immunity and an officer in whose wedding Denson had served as a groomsman, testified that Denson had pushed Torres. Prince Harry 'hated woke nonsense' and 'made jokes we are no longer allowed to make' before meeting Meghan, Charles felt he had to act as king rather than as a father: REBECCA ENGLISH reveals why Charles backed moves Don't just stick to the Malbec! ", 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." We can change these systems. Find Terry Denson's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. Adrian Garcia, former HPD officer and current Harris County commissioner, said some of his friends stopped talking to him when he joined the force, calling him a sellout. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. 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. 1 most stressful city for workers in U.S. Can Alperen Sengun become a passable defender for the Rockets? Joining HPD was regarded almost as a betrayal. Terry Denson was married to Tennie E. (Kimbrough) Denson on October 28, 1971 in Harris County, Texas. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. 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. Witnesses on the other side of the bayou couldnt make out what was happening in the darkness, but they heard a scuffle, then a splash. The judge sentenced them to one year of probation and fined them each $1. A Houston Chronicle reporter and photographer joined the Northeastern Trail Riders Association to document the highlights and challenges of life on the trail during the group's 108-mile journey to the 2023 Houston Letter from the editor: Introducing our exclusive new newsletter, Black trail riders head to Houston rodeo parade after grueling, joyful 6-day journey. Torres was 23 on the night of May 5, 1977, when he was arrested for disorderly conduct at a bar, according to reports from the Houston Chronicle at the time. "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. The Cavaliers said . 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. The 14-year-old was cowering against the wall when he was shot. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. The Houston Police Department Chicano Squad, founded in 1979 after the killing of Jose Campos Torres. When police attempted to make an arrest at a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Moody Park, attendees began throwing rocks and overturning police cars. 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. With those words, Officer Terry Denson tossed Joe Campos Torres into Buffalo Bayou. Vilma Martinez, president of the MexicanAmerican Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also called for the judge's impeachment. 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. Jerry Click/ Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 35 of 56 Houston police officers administer first aid to Officer Tommy A. Britt, injured by a car that broke through a police line at Irvington . The protests that . Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, drowned . 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. More often than not, they were the first Spanish-speaking officers the victims had come into contact with. 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. 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. The two officers convicted in the Torres' case are expected to be sentenced within a few days. Torres' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. The six arresting officers instead took him, once again, to The Hole. 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. Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. Films shown; previous state trial of 2 officers and demands of local Mex.-Americans for Justice Department probe noted. Houston firemen fight a blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. 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. Its not uncommon for the stories of Latinos to be minimized or excluded entirely from Texas history books. The group cleared forty homicides by the end of 1979 and later earned the recognition of the National Latino Peace Officers, in 1997, when they solved 91 percent of the cases theyd been assigned. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. Here are four Houston murders that made news and, in three cases, changed the justice system. The Department of Justice is supposed to fill that leadership role at a national level. Mr. Torres was arrested May 5 at Houston tavern on charges of disturbing the peace. Members of Houstons Latino community described the light sentences as a slap in the face. On the first anniversary of Torress death, protests reached a fever pitch during a Cinco de Mayo celebration at Moody Park. Garcia said there had been progress in that Chief Harry Caldwell has required officers to register the extra weapons they carry with them, has banned the use of "long rifles" such as deer rifles, and has forbidden officers to shoot at fleeing suspects who aren't threatening their safety or that of others. Houston. The squad did not have a single fatal officer-involved shooting during its three-decade tenure. A third officer, J.J. Janish, was charged with misdemeanor assault. Sentencing offenders to perform humiliating tasks like shoveling manure, he became known as the "King of Shame." Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. 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. For many of the victims they interviewed, the officers presence did make a difference. 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. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. REPORTER: Dennis Murphy (KHOU-TV) Artist: Harris Milam. 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. His body would end up in the Buffalo Bayou, where it was found three days later. 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. "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. He drowned after being beaten by officers and thrown into Buffalo Bayou. ', Torres' sister Janie said she was 10 at the time of her brother's death and that her family was never the same. (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. And as Mosqueda recalls, many non-Latino officers were happy to throw around the word wetbackthe same pejorative hurled at Torres before his death. 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. Forty years ago Torres was killed by police in an incident that sparked massive riots across Houston. 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. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Joe Campos Torres. The three former officers are to be sentenced late next month. 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. Two former Houston policemen on trial for beating and drowning a Mexican-American prisoner in their custody last May were convicted by a jury today of misdemeanor charges that will cost each no more than a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. After the Huntsville verdict was reached last fall, pressure from Texas political leaders, including Gov. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. See the article in its original context from. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. There, the officers beat Torres, bruising and bloodying him to the point that when they finally drove him to the city jail, officials there wouldnt process him, telling the officers to take him to a nearby hospital. 110 Twenty-first Avenue South, Suite 704 Nashville, TN 37203, USA. Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner comforts Margarita Campos Torres, the mother of 23-year-old Jose Campos Torres killed by police in 1977, as they stand in front of a trail at 1301 Commerce with an Army photo of her son dedicated in his honor April 2 in downtown Houston. Service station vandalized by riotersduring riot at Moody Park. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. Carlos Calbillo sat on railing next to Buffalo Bayou near Commerce Street Tuesday. It's never had its own day, but is definitely something that should be remembered, a lesson of Houston history and among Mexican-Americans. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Houston makes national news all the time. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Looters struck the store during a riot that began at Moody Park. According to Houston police, they got a call about a missing 3-year-old girl at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 'I am the chief of police, but I am a son of Houston, and what people need to understand is if you cannot see and feel 44 years of pain and suffering of this family, you're not human,' Finner said. For Alonzo, the Chicano Squad is a reminder that reform is possible, even if its difficult to sustain. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. In 2004, Poe was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving for 14 years. 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. You may visit the Television News Archive on the Vanderbilt campus to view on-site from the Archive's collection. . Officer Terry Denson came up with the idea: "Let's see if the wetback can swim," he said. Police attempts to break up the crowd were met with waves of retaliation by the attendees. The trials drew national attention, and HPDs newly minted internal affairs unit was overwhelmed with complaints. One of the counts, involving a violation of Federal civil rights laws in which death results, is a felony, with the maximum sentence life in prison. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. 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. This edited footage from Houston's KPRC-TV follows the grand jury investigation into the death of Jos Campos Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran. 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 . Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. Carless Elliott, the only rookie cop at the scene that night, later recalled in court the words of one of his fellow officers, the last words Torres must have heard before his body plunged into those dark waters: Lets see if this wetback can swim.. At the time, the department was enmeshed in a series of police brutality scandals covered by Texas Monthly in an article titled, " New Gang In Town: What Happens When Cops Run Wild?". To some of their fellow officers, it didnt matter whether they wore a badge or passed their exam, they were Mexicans first. 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. Latinos around town began pinning a single dollar bill to their shirts, meant to symbolize what their lives were worth in the eyes of the criminal justice system. 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. Two additional officers at the scene, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, were suspended from duty but granted immunity by the state in exchange for their testimony. Films shown; previous state trial of 2 officers and demands of local Mex.-Americans for Justice Department probe noted. Nonetheless, Garcia said he is distressed by incidents, including the recent shooting deaths of a black police erroneously believed to be an armed robber and of a 16-year-old unarmed Mexican-American burglary suspect. 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. Houston police officers administer first aid to Officer Tommy A. Britt, injured by a car that broke through a police line at Irvington and Fulton during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. The victim, Joe Campos Torres, 23, allegedly was dumped off the 25-foot retaining wall into the bayou last Friday. ,The allwhite jury of seven men and five women was in its second day of deliberations after a trial conducted by Judge Ross N. Sterling, and had deliberated for a total of seven hours before reaching the verdict. The conflicts could have kept escalating were it not for Houston's new police chief, Harry Caldwell, who was hired a few months after the riot. We need to be honest about our history in order to learn from it, because decades later, the same thing is still happening., For decades before Torress murder, violent encounters with HPD officers had soured the relationship between the police department and the citys Black and Latino communities. That sort of exchange previously would have been unimaginable. Articles about the drowning of Joe Campos Torres appeared in the Houston Chronicle on May 15, 1977. Top 5 Sickest Stephen King Sex Scenes (NSFW), The 10 Best And Most Controversial Hustler Magazine Covers Ever (NSFW). 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. Historian Dwight David Watson, who is interviewed in Chicano Squad, wrote a book on twentieth-century HPD history in which he traces its ties to the Ku Klux Klan in the twenties and the years of racist incidents and attempts at reform that followed. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. Phone 615-322-2927. If you are associated with a college or university, you may ask your library if they would like to become a sponsor, which would give students and faculty at your institution the ability to view items from our collection. Police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. A year later and still feeling as though justice had not been served, members of Houstons Hispanic community rose up in a post Cinco de Mayo riot at the citys Moody Park. Updated: June 20, 2015. Any editing, reproduction, publication, rebroadcast, public showing or public display may be prohibited by copyright laws. He said looters from the riot at Moody Park knocked out windows and forced the clerk to flee through the back of the store as the crowd looted. Chicano Squad members recognized at City Hall, Houston, 2019. six responding Houston Police Department officers, one year of probation and fined them each $1. By the following morning, 28 demonstrators had been taken into custody. "Let's see if the wetback can swim." With those words, Officer. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. You were a victim [of a crime], so Im going to treat you as a victim. In interviews with members of the Chicano Squad, the podcast shines a light on its predicament. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. Torres subsequently drowned. Torres's body was found two days later. In 1977, Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, who refused to process him due to his injuries. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. During the research process, Moravec found that the Chicano Squad posted a consistently higher clearance rate than other HPD units. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. His body was found days later. His death and the light punishment the officers received would spark the infamous Moody Park Riot one year later. 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. You have three options if you'd like to view this item: If you believe that you are associated with a sponsoring college or university and have received this message in error, please let us know. Austin, TX 78751. They were able to gain the trust of victims and witnesses because they knew how Hispanic Houstonians really lived.. In the case of [Torres], theres racism, theres extreme brutality.. Truth about Covid care home testing row: Timeline lays bare what was said, by who and when. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. Brinkmeyer said Denson previously had boasted throwing a wino down a ravine and had beaten other hand-cuffed prisoners. | 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. info@texasarchive.org 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.

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