The officers on trial, Stephen Orlando, 21 years old, and Terry Denson . 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. 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. With those words, Officer Terry Denson tossed Joe Campos Torres into Buffalo Bayou. The case became a national symbol of police brutality against Hispanics in the Southwest. You were a victim [of a crime], so Im going to treat you as a victim. 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. The protests that . 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Defense attorney Bob Bennett and his client, Terry Denson, exit the courtroom to deliver comments to the press. Officer Terry Denson reportedly used . The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. Any time in the penitentiary would be unacceptable, Mr. Bennett said, adding that Mr. Denson was an outstanding public servant to this community.. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers to a year's probation and a $1 fine. 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In 1977, Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Officials at the jail refused to book Torres due to his injuries, and told the officers to bring him to a hospital. The violence May 7 left five police officers and two newsmen injured, and several stores in the area burned or looted. 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. Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou. 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. 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. Terry Denson, 27; Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 22 -- said they do not plan to appeal the . Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando two of the arresting officers were charged with murder following the discovery of Torres' body. Attorneys for the three defendants said they would probably appeal the verdict. Although members of the Houston police force have previously been accused of brutality against prisoners, the Torres case is the first such incident to be brought to trial. Forty years ago Torres was killed by police in an incident that sparked massive riots across Houston. 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. The 14-year-old was cowering against the wall when he was shot. All of the jurors were white, none was Mexican-American and five either worked for law enforcement agencies or had relatives who did. 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. 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. Torres, an American citizen and a former serviceman, was wearing combat boots at the time of the fatal plunge. All the while, she draws parallels to present-day discrimination against Latinos and the ongoing demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. 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 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. 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. Denson testified that Torres had said he could swim and had jumped into the water. The widely publicized case was moved on a change of venue to Huntsville, a town of 20,000, about 70 miles north of Houston. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. 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. 12 pick, Tips for bringing your dog or cat on a flight, West Texans share apocalyptic photos of after massive dust storm, This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake. The cops got to go home to their families while he was floating in the water for three days.". | News car burns in background as youths prepare to burn Houston police car on Fulton Street. 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. 1 of 2. This was a test, and they had only a few months to prove themselves. 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. Each to Serve Extra Day for Roles in Suspect's Death Judge Assailed as Too Lenient. Films shown; previous state trial of 2 officers and demands of local Mex.-Americans for Justice Department probe noted. In the case of [Torres], theres racism, theres extreme brutality.. That sort of exchange previously would have been unimaginable. On the one-year anniversary of Torres' death, the simmering social unrest erupted into riots. 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. 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. 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. Material supplied by VTNA may be used for educational analysis or research only. Become a member to support the independent voice of Houston In 2010, because HPDs increasingly diverse workforce now includes a higher number of Spanish-speaking officers, the group was disbanded. 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. 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. HPD is now hiring for our upcoming classes. Dozens were arrested and 15 were injured as protesters clashed with police in one of the citys most notorious riots. 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. 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. Instead, they returned him to the hole, where they continued to beat him, and where he was either pushed or fell into the bayou. "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. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, where jailers refused to process him due to his injuries. Holland, 80, previously was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. Houston police officers during riot at Moody Park. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen. 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. Looters struck the store during a riot that began at Moody Park. 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. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. How the Houston Zoo moved its flock of flamingos to a new home, Why the Texans should take Bijan Robinson with the No. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. 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. Vanderbilt Television News Archive 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. In addition to having a strong work ethic, Montero said, the officers should hail from the neighborhoods they would be policing. Any editing, reproduction, publication, rebroadcast, public showing or public display may be prohibited by copyright laws. They were able to gain the trust of victims and witnesses because they knew how Hispanic Houstonians really lived.. LOOKING BACK:Witnesses reflect on LA's Rodney King riot 25 years later. The victim, Joe Campos Torres, 23, allegedly was dumped off the 25-foot retaining wall into the bayou last Friday. October 18, 2016 On May 8, Mr. Torres's body was found floating in the bayou. Sam Buyajian 33, surveys the wreckage of his drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton. REPORTER: Dennis Murphy (KHOU-TV) Artist: Harris Milam. 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. This is a carousel. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The Houston Police Department Chicano Squad, founded in 1979 after the killing of Jose Campos Torres. In 2004, Poe was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving for 14 years. Officer Terry W. Denson, 27, is charged with murder in Torres' death. Austin, TX 78751, Grand Jury Investigation into the Death of Jos Campos Torres (1977). The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. He was on duty at the time of the murder and HPD discovered he. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. After the Huntsville verdict was reached last fall, pressure from Texas political leaders, including Gov. The Killing of Jos Campos Torres. 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. Bring on the Shiplap? 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. Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. 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?". Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. 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. 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. A convenience store/drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton is vandalized by riotersin the 1978 Moody Park riots. 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. ', Torres' sister Janie said she was 10 at the time of her brother's death and that her family was never the same. 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. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. Updated: June 20, 2015. 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. Surviving members of Torres' family also spoke on Sunday. By the following morning, 28 demonstrators had been taken into custody. 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. You've got five officers sworn to protect, five, sworn to protect and serve and murdered an active military soldier,'. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Longtime Virginia men's basketball coach Terry Holland has died, the school announced Monday. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. 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. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. 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. Police attempts to break up the crowd were met with waves of retaliation by the attendees. Service station vandalized by riotersduring riot at Moody Park. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights violations and served nine months in prison. In 1977, Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Carlos Calbillo sat on railing next to Buffalo Bayou near Commerce Street Tuesday. Phone 615-322-2927. 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. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. 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. 6:00AM, Kinetic Celebrates Womens History Month with a World Premiere, What Your Favorite Mainline Final Fantasy Game Says About You. 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. 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. Welcome! See the article in its original context from. 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. 110 Twenty-first Avenue South, Suite 704 Nashville, TN 37203, USA. 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. Houstonians should take pride in knowing that a once-troubled department is now a model for the nation. She blends vividly reported details of decades-old events with personal anecdotes of similar struggles. 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. Terry Denson was married to Tennie E. (Kimbrough) Denson on October 28, 1971 in Harris County, Texas. 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. By Gloria Rubac posted on April 12, 2022. His body was found by a boater three days later. Houston makes national news all the time. . 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Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. It goes to show how those moments of crisis and scandal within our public institutions become important opportunities for forward-looking leaders. 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. 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. Houston, and its police department, had to respond. 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. When you look at the records of some of their arrests, youll find lacerated livers, fractured skulls, broken hands. 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. Sentencing offenders to perform humiliating tasks like shoveling manure, he became known as the "King of Shame." This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. The three former officers are to be sentenced late next month. The officers involved were found guilty of negligent homicide and ultimately given a year and a day in prison for civil rights violations. 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 And to this day, Morales remains skeptical that the Chicano Squad was the answer. The city was quickly growing into the murder capital of the United States as a slew of unsolved killings in Houstons barrios piled up. The department wanted to rebuild its reputation fast. 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. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. It is the headquarters for the Texas prison system. "'You're not going to take him and do what you did to Joe Campos Torres.". ", 40 years ago police killed Joe Campos Torres sparking massive Moody Park Riots. CBS Evening News for Wednesday, Feb 08, 1978 . Anyone can read what you share. Jos R. Ralat is Texas Monthlys taco editor, writing about tacos and Mexican food. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/31/archives/3-former-officers-sentenced-in-texas-each-to-serve-extra-day-for.html. ,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. As the story goes, the 23-year-old was beaten so severely that authorities refused to accept him into the City Jail. "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. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. WHERE ARE THEY NOW:A look at prominent figures in the Rodney King riots, "What happened was when the police came in to arrest some people, and actually took somebody, people said 'No,'" then-rookie cop Harold Barthe told Houston Public Media in 2008. 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. On May 5, 1977, Campos Torres, was arrested at a bar for disorderly conduct. His body was found days later. More often than not, they were the first Spanish-speaking officers the victims had come into contact with. Brinkmeyer said Denson previously had boasted throwing a wino down a ravine and had beaten other hand-cuffed prisoners. ", 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." In the wake of Torress death, frustrated residents of Houstons barrios staged rallies and protests around the city. 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. local news and culture, Olivia Flores Alvarez This has destroyed all of us. We can change these systems. 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. The convicted former officers are Terry W. Denson, 27, and Stephen Orlando, 22. Cat Cardenas is a writer focused on culture, entertainment, and the states Latino community. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. When Black and Latino communities are asking for change, some people treat it like an impossibility, she says. Facebook gives people the power to. 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. And those who chronicled the attack said the executioner was. On June 28, a Harris County grand jury indicted two of the officers, Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder and a third, J. J. Janisch, for misdemeanor assault. Joining HPD was regarded almost as a betrayal. 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. 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. On April 3, a plaza, a monument, a huge portrait, and a walking trail were all unveiled and dedicated to remembering a man brutally murdered by Houston police almost 45 years ago. On June 28, a Harris County grand jury indicted two of the officers, Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder and a third, J. J. Janisch, for misdemeanor assault. Houston. 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