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.. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. After learning of Mr. Torres's death, Carless Elliott, a 20yearold rookie police officer who witnessed the incident, reported what he had seen to his superiors. 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. Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. On an overcast evening in early May 1977, 23-year-old Vietnam War veteran Jose Campos Torres was in handcuffs for drunk and disorderly conduct at a cantina in Houstons East End. ", 40 years ago police killed Joe Campos Torres sparking massive Moody Park Riots. Divers were hoping to find a wallet belonging to Torres. One of them removed the handcuffs. A number of people have since been tried. The Houston Police Department Chicano Squad, founded in 1979 after the killing of Jose Campos Torres. Dozens were arrested and 15 were injured as protesters clashed with police in one of the citys most notorious riots. In 1977, Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. 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. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. In the wake of Torres's death, frustrated residents of Houston's barrios staged rallies and protests around the city. A lot has changed since 1979 at HPD, but community policing is really important, Moravec says. Past charges of brutality against Houston Police Department noted. 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. 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. For years, [HPD] operated with impunity, he says. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. The violence May 7 left five police officers and two newsmen injured, and several stores in the area burned or looted. Officials at the jail refused to book Torres due to his injuries, and told the officers to bring him to a hospital. Houstonians should take pride in knowing that a once-troubled department is now a model for the nation. Each to Serve Extra Day for Roles in Suspect's Death Judge Assailed as Too Lenient. He was on duty at the time of the murder and HPD discovered he. The judge gave the three suspended sentences of 10 years, plus five years probation, on the felony charge that resulted from Mr. Torres's death. The 14-year-old was cowering against the wall when he was shot. A gutted variety store at a shopping center in the 3100 block of Fulton. Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. 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 judge sentenced them to one year of probation and fined them each $1. Torres, an American citizen and a former serviceman, was wearing combat boots at the time of the fatal plunge. 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. In San Antonio, a Road Map for the Future of Texas Art, A Users Guide to All the Banned Books in Texas, Author John Graves Was a Literary Godfather to Texas Monthly, The Best High School Basketball Team in Texas Doesnt Need a State Title, The Photo the Dallas Cowboys Never Wanted the Public to See, Wouldnt People Like Some Good News?: The Lasting Popularity of Texas Country Reporter. Police officers seen outside emergency entrance of Memorial Hermann following the fatal shooting of an on-duty Houston Police Department officer Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, in Houston. 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. If I didnt tell you that this story took place forty years ago, you might think it had just happened, Alonzo told me. Carrying picket signs reading "Protection not police brutality" and "Stop the war against Chicano people," the demonstrators were protesting the police-involved death of Jos Campos Torres. Sunday's formal apology comes after Finner and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner met privately with Torres' family over Memorial Day weekend, but wanted to make a public showingABC 13 reported. In the case of [Torres], theres racism, theres extreme brutality.. Because the felony and misdemeanor sentences are concurrent, the three will probably serve less than a year in prison. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. His death and the light punishment the officers received would spark the infamous Moody Park Riot one year later. . In May 1977, Houston Police arrested Army veteran Joe Campos Torres following a disturbance outside an East End bar. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Terry W. Denson. A third officer, J.J. Janish, was charged with misdemeanor assault. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. The widely publicized case was moved on a change of venue to Huntsville, a town of 20,000, about 70 miles north of Houston. And to this day, Morales remains skeptical that the Chicano Squad was the answer. Forty-five year struggle wins a bit of justice. This connection to Torres and to the officers on the Chicano Squad is what allows Alonzo to shine as a host. When you look at the records of some of their arrests, youll find lacerated livers, fractured skulls, broken hands. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. Margaret Torres, mother of Joe Campos Torres, speaks to a crowd gathered at the Houston police station Oct. 8, 1977 to protest the verdict handed down by a Huntsville jury in the the murder trial of former Houston policemen Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. A local boat operator called the police, identifying Torres by the military dog tags still hanging around his neck. "All those cops, they just got a slap on the wrist, and you know what? More often than not, they were the first Spanish-speaking officers the victims had come into contact with. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Forty years ago Torres was killed by police in an incident that sparked massive riots across Houston. [Victim's mother Margaret TORRES - feels happy because she wanted justice and doesn't want this to happen again.] 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. This was a test, and they had only a few months to prove themselves. Its not uncommon for the stories of Latinos to be minimized or excluded entirely from Texas history books. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. His body was found by a boater three days later. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. You were a victim [of a crime], so Im going to treat you as a victim. Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder. 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.. 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. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Mr. Torres was arrested May 5 at Houston tavern on charges of disturbing the peace. 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. Chief Bond introduces possible disciplinary action against the offending officers through the civil service law, KPRC reporter Don Shelby speculates on the possibility of a second assault on Torres in between the time when officers brought him to the jail and when he ended up in the bayou. About 150 protesters met at Commerce and San Jacinto on May 21, 1977 near the site where the body of Joe Campos Torres was found just weeks before. The protests that . HPD is now hiring for our upcoming classes. In 1977, Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. As we said at the time: what difference is it going to make to have the cops speaking Spanish when they brutalize and murder someone? he asks on the podcast. As the story goes, the 23-year-old was beaten so severely that authorities refused to accept him into the City Jail. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. The squad did not have a single fatal officer-involved shooting during its three-decade tenure. Instead, they returned him to the hole, where they continued to beat him, and where he was either pushed or fell into the bayou. 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. 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?". The sentences that Judge Sterling imposed were each one year and one day, but they were set to run concurrently with separate oneyear sentences he imposed on the three men last year for a misdemeanor count of violating the victim's civil rights. Five months after Torress murder, an all-white jury found Denson and Orlando guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanor. By Gloria Rubac posted on April 12, 2022. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. When police attempted to make an arrest at a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Moody Park, attendees began throwing rocks and overturning police cars. On the night of May 5, 1977, Houston police officers arrested Torres at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. Houston. Sam Buyajian 33, surveys the wreckage of his drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton. Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou. In just a few short years, relationships between HPD and Houston's Hispanic community had improved to such a degree that Caldwell even commended a local police critic during a LULAC convention, who in turn praised the chief for his efforts. His drowned body was found three days later on May 8, 1977 - exactly 40 years ago today. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. Articles about the drowning of Joe Campos Torres appeared in the Houston Chronicle on May 15, 1977. A convenience store/drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton is vandalized by riotersin the 1978 Moody Park riots. Officer Terry Denson came up with the idea: "Let's see if the wetback can swim," he said. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. More than 40 people were arrested during the riots, which became nationwide news and led to the creation of HPD's internal affairs department. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. 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. This unedited footage from Houston's KPRC-TV captures protesters outside the Houston Police Department headquarters on May 16, 1977. Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the appeal and ordered Judge Sterling to impose prison terms. Houston firemen fight blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. After adjustments, if you continue to experience problems, please contact us. In their barrios, things werent much better. Police grab an unidentified suspect believed to have thrown a brick during riot at Moody Park. Officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were indicted for murder on June 28. It is the headquarters for the Texas prison system. 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. 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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. Buffalo Bayou near Commerce St. Tuesday May 6, 2014. Chief Bond comments on the function of the Civilian Review Board. Material supplied by VTNA may be used for educational analysis or research only. On the one-year anniversary of Torres' death, the simmering social unrest erupted into riots. His body would end up in the Buffalo Bayou, where it was found three days later. Poe served as a chief felony prosecutor for eight years before being appointed a state district judge in 1981. Torres subsequently drowned. The former officers have admitted that they beat their handcuffed prisoner for insolence before booking him. 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. 1 of 2. Judge Sterling, who issued the sentences today without comment, was appointed to the Federal bench by President Ford in 1976. 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. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. Torres' nephew, Richard Molina, said the family is in communication with the city to find a proper way to memorialize his uncle. Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Longtime Virginia men's basketball coach Terry Holland has died, the school announced Monday. Terry Denson was married to Tennie E. (Kimbrough) Denson on October 28, 1971 in Harris County, Texas. View the profiles of people named Terry Denson. On January 15, according to a $100,000 damage suit filed by Robert and Alice Gleason, N. W. Holloway and his partner J. T. Olin were among several other cops who stormed into their Pasadena trailer. To some of their fellow officers, it didnt matter whether they wore a badge or passed their exam, they were Mexicans first. The three foriner officers, Terry W. Denson, 27 years old, Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 24, were convicted after a twoweek trial on two counts of violating the civil rights of the prisoner, Joe Campos Torres, a 23-yearold laborer whose body was found floating in Bffalo Bayou two days after the beating. 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. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights violations and served nine months in prison. "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. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. Defense attorney Mike Ramsey and his client, Steven Orlando, follow. 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. Houston firemen put out fire of burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. David Courtney, a.k.a. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. Officer Terry Denson reportedly used . In 2010, because HPDs increasingly diverse workforce now includes a higher number of Spanish-speaking officers, the group was disbanded. (Two activists, Travis Morales and Mara Youngdahl, were later fined a total of $9,000 on misdemeanor riot charges.). Torres' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. 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. 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. This is a carousel. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. "The environment that created the Torres case continues to exist," Garcia said, "and we can expect a continuation of the same kind of thing.". 512-485-3073 Three days later, on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 8, 1977 his dead body was found severely beaten and floating in the Buffalo Bayou, a creek on the outskirts of downtown Houston. Report: Houston is the No. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 'I will never be the same, my family will never be the same. On May 5, 1977, Campos Torres, was arrested at a bar for disorderly conduct. 3908 Avenue B, Suite 105 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. The arresting officers took him to a place dubbed 'the hole,' an area behind a warehouse along the Buffalo Bayou, and beat him before taking Torres to the city jail. She blends vividly reported details of decades-old events with personal anecdotes of similar struggles. EXCLUSIVE: Lanzarote sticks to its guns and insists it WILL limit tourists and move away from relying on Jeremy Clarkson DENIES he has been sacked as Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? local news and culture, Olivia Flores Alvarez 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. Surviving members of Torres' family also spoke on Sunday. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, where jailers refused to process him due to his injuries. Its possible.. We want to let the people know what kind of person he was and what he meant to my family,' Molina said. About 100 persons rallied Saturday in front of the Houston police station to protest the sentences two former officers received following the death of Joe Campos Torres. Houston Police Chief B. G. "Pappy" Bond holds a press conference in his office. 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. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanor . 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. The other count, a misdemeanor violation of Mr. Torres's rights by intimidation, carries a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. 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. HPD offers a rewarding career, exceptional benefits and a competitive salary. "Let's see if the wetback can swim." With those words, Officer. The Killing of Jos Campos Torres. Torres subsequently drowned. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. All of the jurors were white, none was Mexican-American and five either worked for law enforcement agencies or had relatives who did. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. Caldwell agreed, greenlighting a three-month-long pilot program in August of 1979 with five recruits who now made up the Chicano Squad: Cecil Mosqueda, Robert Gatewood, U.P. That sort of exchange previously would have been unimaginable. Leave them blank to get signed up. | Torres' mother was quoted as saying, "If five Mexican killed a cop, it wouldn't be like this. 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. 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. [Houston United States attorney Tony CANALES - thinks justice served.] You may visit the Television News Archive on the Vanderbilt campus to view on-site from the Archive's collection. Brinkmeyer said Denson previously had boasted throwing a wino down a ravine and had beaten other hand-cuffed prisoners. His body was found days later. 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. On May 8, Mr. Torres's body was found floating in the bayou. Torres's body was found two days later. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. The two officers convicted in the Torres' case are expected to be sentenced within a few days. Holland, 80, previously was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. On May 5, 1977, Houston police arrested Jos Campos Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. Houston police officers during riot at Moody Park. As news of the atrocity spread, Torress name became a rallying cry that united the citys Latino community in its search for justice. Testimony at the Federal trial alleged that Mr. Torres was beaten severely after his arrest and forced to jump into the bayou by Mr. Denson, who told the man he wanted to see if a wetback can swim. Mr. Torres was a native Houstonian and a Vietnam veteran. 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. View Terry Denson results in Texas (TX) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. Last month, members of Congress visited our city to learn about HPD's successful community programs. 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. Bring on the Shiplap? Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. LOOKING BACK:Witnesses reflect on LA's Rodney King riot 25 years later. 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. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. A once-troubled Department is now a model for the nation has changed 1979... 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