By John M. Crewdson; Special to The New York Times. 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. In the case of [Torres], theres racism, theres extreme brutality.. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. Houston makes national news all the time. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. Any editing, reproduction, publication, rebroadcast, public showing or public display may be prohibited by copyright laws. Join Facebook to connect with Terry Denson and others you may know. 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! Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. 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. 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. 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. ", 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." 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. Torres' mother was quoted as saying, "If five Mexican killed a cop, it wouldn't be like this. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando, were charged with murder. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. 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 squad did not have a single fatal officer-involved shooting during its three-decade tenure. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. The family was surrounded by hundreds of supporters and friends as . All six officers were found guilty of violating Torres' civil rights, and given a ten-year suspended sentence. The Killing of Jos Campos Torres. 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. 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. Forty years ago Torres was killed by police in an incident that sparked massive riots across Houston. 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. Chief Troy Finner issued the apology on Sunday to the family of Joe Campos Torres, a Mexican-American Vietnam War veteran, who was beaten to death and his body dumped in the Buffalo Bayou by Houston police officers in 1977. In the case of the burglary suspect, Garcia pointed out that a 14-year-old witness had disputed the officer's claim that the suspect had lunged at the officer. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. Its possible.. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. 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 The six arresting officers instead took him, once again, to The Hole. The officers on trial, Stephen Orlando, 21 years old, and Terry Denson . LOOKING BACK:Witnesses reflect on LA's Rodney King riot 25 years later. 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 Cavaliers said . Five months after Torress murder, an all-white jury found Denson and Orlando guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanor. Houstonians should take pride in knowing that a once-troubled department is now a model for the nation. 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 . It goes to show how those moments of crisis and scandal within our public institutions become important opportunities for forward-looking leaders. See the article in its original context from. 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. Where's my brother? 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. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanor . Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. 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. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. Films shown; previous state trial of 2 officers and demands of local Mex.-Americans for Justice Department probe noted. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. On the one-year anniversary of Torres' death, the simmering social unrest erupted into riots. The squads success came from how connected they were to these neighborhoods. A third officer, J.J. Janish, was charged with misdemeanor assault. 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. You've got five officers sworn to protect, five, sworn to protect and serve and murdered an active military soldier,'. Its not uncommon for the stories of Latinos to be minimized or excluded entirely from Texas history books. Defense attorney Bob Bennett and his client, Terry Denson, exit the courtroom to deliver comments to the press. On May 8, Mr. Torres's body was found floating in the bayou. Police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. info@texasarchive.org His death and the light punishment the officers received would spark the infamous Moody Park Riot one year later. "There has never been anything to mark (Torres' death) in a positive way," Torres' nephew Richard Molina, told the Houston Chronicle in 2014. 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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. "All those cops, they just got a slap on the wrist, and you know what? Denson testified that Torres had said he could swim and had jumped into the water. View other clips in this broadcast . "The environment that created the Torres case continues to exist," Garcia said, "and we can expect a continuation of the same kind of thing.". 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. 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. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. This has destroyed all of us. 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. 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. Houston Police Chief B. G. "Pappy" Bond holds a press conference in his office. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. View the profiles of people named Terry Denson. 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. Above is the abstract of the item that you're interested in viewing from the Vanderbilt Television News Archive's collection. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. the Texanist, is a staff writer. ,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. Torres' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. However, Houston's police chief issued a statement saying that "the processes of justice have prevailed over demagoguery.". The former officers have admitted that they beat their handcuffed prisoner for insolence before booking him. October 7, 1977 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. Houston firemen put out fire of burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. Past charges of brutality against Houston Police Department noted. Terry Denson in Texas. All the while, she draws parallels to present-day discrimination against Latinos and the ongoing demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. The department wanted to rebuild its reputation fast. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. Truth about Covid care home testing row: Timeline lays bare what was said, by who and when. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights. 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. Holland, 80, previously was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. When you look at the records of some of their arrests, youll find lacerated livers, fractured skulls, broken hands. 3908 Avenue B, Suite 105 This is a carousel. (Studio) Report on conviction of 3 former Houston policemen accused of violating civil rights of Mex.-American who drowned while in their custody. And sometimes it's Houston murders. And once the word got out, they trusted us.. Report: Houston is the No. 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. By the following morning, 28 demonstrators had been taken into custody. Officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were indicted for murder on June 28. Become a member to support the independent voice of Houston This connection to Torres and to the officers on the Chicano Squad is what allows Alonzo to shine as a host. Welcome! Surviving members of Torres' family also spoke on Sunday. But the Chicano Squad moved mountains with the little resources they had. 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. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. The city was quickly growing into the murder capital of the United States as a slew of unsolved killings in Houstons barrios piled up. 512-485-3073 State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. We can change these systems. 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. 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.. In 2010, because HPDs increasingly diverse workforce now includes a higher number of Spanish-speaking officers, the group was disbanded. 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. We want to let the people know what kind of person he was and what he meant to my family,' Molina said. She blends vividly reported details of decades-old events with personal anecdotes of similar struggles. But as Alonzo points out: the squads role wasnt to patrol these neighborhoods, it was to solve the crimes that were plaguing them. In May 1977, Houston Police arrested Army veteran Joe Campos Torres following a disturbance outside an East End bar. Torres's body was found two days later. 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. Carlos Calbillo sat on railing next to Buffalo Bayou near Commerce Street Tuesday. 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. 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. Chief Bond comments on the function of the Civilian Review Board. 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. 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. 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. Material supplied by VTNA may be used for educational analysis or research only. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Torres. Houston's independent source of Two observers watch as Margaret Torres throws a wreath into Buffalo Bayou in memory of her son, Joe Campos Torres. During the research process, Moravec found that the Chicano Squad posted a consistently higher clearance rate than other HPD units. By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. New Higher Salaries! Divers search the murky water of Buffalo Bayou in an unsuccessful attempt to find a wallet belonging to a southeast Houston man allegedly drowned by a policeman. Austin, TX 78751, Grand Jury Investigation into the Death of Jos Campos Torres (1977). Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Joe Campos Torres. And those who chronicled the attack said the executioner was. '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. 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.'. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. You were a victim [of a crime], so Im going to treat you as a victim. 1 of 2. Houston. Find Terry Denson's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. When Black and Latino communities are asking for change, some people treat it like an impossibility, she says. Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. HPD offers a rewarding career, exceptional benefits and a competitive salary. ', Torres' sister Janie said she was 10 at the time of her brother's death and that her family was never the same. . 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. 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. 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. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. In the wake of Torres's death, frustrated residents of Houston's barrios staged rallies and protests around the city. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. ", 40 years ago police killed Joe Campos Torres sparking massive Moody Park Riots. In the wake of Torress death, frustrated residents of Houstons barrios staged rallies and protests around the city. Im not an immigration officer. Updated: June 20, 2015. Two days after Torres was arrested, his mangled body was found floating in Buffalo Bayou. Judge Sterling, who issued the sentences today without comment, was appointed to the Federal bench by President Ford in 1976. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Two Houston police officers stand guard over a wrecked convenience store at 3814 Fulton. 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. 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. On the one-year anniversary of Torres' death, the simmering social unrest erupted into riots. On May 5, 1977, Campos Torres, was arrested at a bar for disorderly conduct. info@texasarchive.org 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. 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. Once there, officials refused to book him because of the extent of his injuries, and ordered that he be admitted to a hospital. Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree 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. Slowly, the Chicano Squad earned back the trust that HPD had lost. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. | 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. 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. Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in 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. 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. 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. "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. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner apologized to the family of Joe Campos Torres for his death in 1977 in Houston police custody, calling it 'straight-up murder', Torres, a US Army Vietnam veteran, was 23 when he was arrested on May 5, 1977 for disorderly conduct at a bar, and beaten. How the Houston Zoo moved its flock of flamingos to a new home, Why the Texans should take Bijan Robinson with the No. Terry Denson, 27; Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 22 -- said they do not plan to appeal the . The three former officers are to be sentenced late next month. The judge received dismissed the case without explanation. By Associated Press and Peter Belfiore For Dailymail.Com, Published: 17:01 GMT, 28 June 2021 | Updated: 08:56 GMT, 29 June 2021, Houston's police chief has publicly apologized to the family of a man killed by six officers more than four decades ago, calling it a 'straight-up murder.'. 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. Every passing month seems to bring news of some officer killing an unarmed young man - we're still mourning the death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards in Balch Springs, a Dallas suburb. The sergeant said he told the officers to take the prisoner to a nearby hospital; instead, they took Mr. Torres back to the 16foot embankment overlooking Buffalo Bayou near downtown Housotn, where they had beaten him. Phone 615-322-2927. [Victim's mother Margaret TORRES - feels happy because she wanted justice and doesn't want this to happen again.] The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. Looters struck the store during a riot that began at Moody Park. Assistant District Attorney Ted Poe talks about coordination between the District Attorney's Office and the grand jury. '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. The people would open their hearts towards us because we were able to communicate with them, Mosqueda says in the podcast. 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. 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. Instead of being taken to jail, police took Campos Torres to "The Hole," an isolated area behind a warehouse along Buffalo Bayou where Houston Police Department officers could write reports, question suspects and sleep. 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Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. 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. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. 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. When do the clocks change in 2023? For years, [HPD] operated with impunity, he says. The Houston Police Department Chicano Squad, founded in 1979 after the killing of Jose Campos Torres. Protesters met at Commerce and San Jacinto near the site where the body of Joe Campos Torres was found May 8. The girl's parents told the police they went to sleep at about 11 p.m. Saturday, and when . 6:00AM, Kinetic Celebrates Womens History Month with a World Premiere, What Your Favorite Mainline Final Fantasy Game Says About You. The two officers convicted in the Torres' case are expected to be sentenced within a few days. Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, drowned . REPORTER: Dennis Murphy (KHOU-TV) Artist: Harris Milam. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican-American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. 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Were fined $ 1 and sentenced to probation the squads success came from how connected they were to these.. Badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou ongoing demonstrations against police brutality in Houston, https: //www.nytimes.com/1978/02/09/archives/3-expolice-officers-convicted-in-houston-found-guilty-in-civil.html supporters and as... Years old, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers stand guard over a convenience. Stand guard over a wrecked convenience store at 3814 Fulton: Witnesses reflect on LA 's Rodney riot. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can on... Rights of Mex.-American who drowned while in their custody after Torres was found May 8 Margaret Torres - feels because..., exit the courtroom to deliver comments to the press at about 11 p.m. Saturday, and fifteen were.
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