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To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. (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. Robert Bennett, attorney for Mr. Denson, who had been specifically charged with pushing Mr. Torres into the water, said that he would argue against a prison sentence for his client. 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. Forty-five year struggle wins a bit of justice. 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. We want to let the people know what kind of person he was and what he meant to my family,' Molina said. 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. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, who refused to process him due to his injuries. If I didnt tell you that this story took place forty years ago, you might think it had just happened, Alonzo told me. 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. In their barrios, things werent much better. 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. "The environment that created the Torres case continues to exist," Garcia said, "and we can expect a continuation of the same kind of thing.". HOUSTON, Oct. 30 Federal District Judge Ross N. Sterling, acting under orders from a Federal appeals court to impose prison terms on three former Houston police officers he had sentenced to probation for their roles in the death of a young MexicanAmerican man, today handed the three what amounted to an extra day in orison. 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?". He drowned after being beaten by officers and thrown into Buffalo Bayou. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. 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. For many of the victims they interviewed, the officers presence did make a difference. David Courtney, a.k.a. "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. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. Judge Sterling has been criticized recently by some members of a Federal grand jury here that handed up antiracketeering indictments against two oilbrokering firms. See the article in its original context from. Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. ", 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." A new podcast explores the history of the Chicano Squad as part of a Houston police department effort to repair its broken relationship with the Latino community. They were able to gain the trust of victims and witnesses because they knew how Hispanic Houstonians really lived.. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. How the Houston Zoo moved its flock of flamingos to a new home, Why the Texans should take Bijan Robinson with the No. 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 drowning of Joe Campos Torres, 23, a laborer. Surviving members of Torres' family also spoke on Sunday. "We never got justice," his sister Sandra Torres told the Houston Chronicle in 2011. "No parade, no day of remembrance. October 18, 2016 Moment fitness influencer asks man to move off park bench 'because he's 'ruining her livestream' - but Mortgage demand plummets to a 28-year low as average interest rates hit 6.71% - just as spring home buying Britain braces for brutal -9C Arctic snap: Met Office warns more snow and ice could lash the country next ISIS fanatic jailed over the gruesome beheading of two Scandinavian women hikers in Morocco that shocked the Shamima Begum and other British women who joined Islamic State and are being held in Syria will 'ultimately' Is YOUR wood burner at risk? Poe served as a chief felony prosecutor for eight years before being appointed a state district judge in 1981. 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. 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. Join Facebook to connect with Terry Denson and others you may know. 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. Houston police officers give first aid to officer Tommy A. Britt who was injured by a car that broke through a police line at Irvington and Fulton during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. 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. 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. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. All six officers were found guilty of violating Torres' civil rights, and given a ten-year suspended sentence. Torres subsequently drowned. On the night of May 5, 1977, Houston police officers arrested Torres at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. 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! More than 40 people were arrested during the riots, which became nationwide news and led to the creation of HPD's internal affairs department. Bond resigned months later after only serving a year. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. They're dead, Michael C. Ramsey, one of the defense lawyers, said of the Justice Department's appeal effort, which he termed frivolous. Mr. Ramsey said he considered today's sentences a victory for the additional reason that the three defendants would no longer have to face the five years probation originally imposed by the Judge. The unidentified suspect was suspected of throwing a brick during the riot. 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. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. 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. Denson testified that Torres had said he could swim and had jumped into the water. Houston, and its police department, had to respond. 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. Terry Denson in Texas. In the case of [Torres], theres racism, theres extreme brutality.. If you are experiencing playback problems, check the minimum requirements and adjust your setup accordingly. However, Houston's police chief issued a statement saying that "the processes of justice have prevailed over demagoguery.". Anyone can read what you share. As the story goes, the 23-year-old was beaten so severely that authorities refused to accept him into the City Jail. Chief Bond comments on the function of the Civilian Review Board. "There has never been anything to mark (Torres' death) in a positive way," Torres' nephew Richard Molina, told the Houston Chronicle in 2014. 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. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Torres. local news and culture, Olivia Flores Alvarez The Justice Department brought civil rights charges against the three after Mr. Denson and Mr. Orlando were acquitted of murder charges in state court. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, where jailers refused to process him due to his injuries. HOUSTON, Feb. 8 Three former Houston police officers were found guilty in Federal District Court here today of beating a MeicanAmerican prisoner last May and then pushing him into a downtown bayou, where he drowned. 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. Aided by the research of producer and Austin-based journalist Eva Ruth Moravec, Alonzo guides listeners through interviews with Chicano activists, former police officers, scholars, and Torress family members. 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. 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. With limited resources and no prior detective training, they faced scrutiny from all sides. The squads success came from how connected they were to these neighborhoods. "'You're not going to take him and do what you did to Joe Campos Torres.". An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers to a year's probation and a $1 fine. 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.. 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 Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, drowned . Jose "Joe" Campos Torres, shown in a photo held by his sister Janie Torres in 1998, was arrested after a 1977 Cinco de Mayo disturbance. But the Chicano Squad moved mountains with the little resources they had. That sort of exchange previously would have been unimaginable. 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. info@texasarchive.org 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. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. With those words, Officer Terry Denson tossed Joe Campos Torres into Buffalo Bayou. Torres drowned after he had been arrested by Houston police officers for creating a disturbance in an East End bar. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. Torres subsequently drowned. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 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. 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. 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. Material supplied by VTNA may be used for educational analysis or research only. The pain is a lot deeper than what you could have ever imagined. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. 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. LOOKING BACK:Witnesses reflect on LA's Rodney King riot 25 years later. Because the felony and misdemeanor sentences are concurrent, the three will probably serve less than a year in prison. When you look at the records of some of their arrests, youll find lacerated livers, fractured skulls, broken hands. Officer Terry Denson reportedly used . 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. Here are four Houston murders that made news and, in three cases, changed the justice system. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. '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. Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder. Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious TV interview, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston pastor calls for state book ban, Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob arrives, Former KHOU anchor turns layoff into lucrative real estate career, The only Houston rodeo food guide you'll need, Report: Houston ranked No. As news of the atrocity spread, Torress name became a rallying cry that united the citys Latino community in its search for justice. When police attempted to make an arrest at a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Moody Park, attendees began throwing rocks and overturning police cars. | By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. 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. After the Huntsville verdict was reached last fall, pressure from Texas political leaders, including Gov. 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 US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. 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. The officers were eventually sentenced to nine months in prison, but tensions simmered for a year until they boiled over on the anniversary of Campos Torres' death. By the following morning, 28 demonstrators had been taken into custody. 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. 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. Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Oops! Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/31/archives/3-former-officers-sentenced-in-texas-each-to-serve-extra-day-for.html. Host Alonzo, a self-proclaimed history nerd, often spent time in history classes in the Rio Grande Valley thumbing through her books trying to find important figures that looked like her. Cat Cardenas is a writer focused on culture, entertainment, and the states Latino community. Terry Denson was married to Tennie E. (Kimbrough) Denson on October 28, 1971 in Harris County, Texas. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanor . Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. 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 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. Mr. Elliott later became a prosecution witness at both trials. Terry W Denson of Harris County, Texas was born c. 1950. 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. 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. Campos Torres was beaten by six officers for hours before they took him to the city jail. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. Two observers watch as Margaret Torres throws a wreath into Buffalo Bayou in memory of her son, Joe Campos Torres. 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. 1 most stressful city for workers in U.S. Can Alperen Sengun become a passable defender for the Rockets? Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. HPD is now hiring for our upcoming classes. 1 of 2. 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 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. After adjustments, if you continue to experience problems, please contact us. 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. 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. 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. 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. Its possible.. On May 5, 1977, Campos Torres, was arrested at a bar for disorderly conduct. Torres' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. His drowned body was found three days later on May 8, 1977 - exactly 40 years ago today. Protesters met at Commerce and San Jacinto near the site where the body of Joe Campos Torres was found May 8. (Studio) Report on conviction of 3 former Houston policemen accused of violating civil rights of Mex.-American who drowned while in their custody. Report: Houston is the No. All the while, she draws parallels to present-day discrimination against Latinos and the ongoing demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. This is a carousel. All of the jurors were white, none was Mexican-American and five either worked for law enforcement agencies or had relatives who did. Houston's independent source of In 2004, Poe was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving for 14 years. Past charges of brutality against Houston Police Department noted. The judge sentenced them to one year of probation and fined them each $1. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. The case became a national symbol of police brutality against Hispanics in the Southwest. 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. When they brought him to the station, according to the testimony of a police sergeant on duty, Mr. Torres needed medical treatment. CBS Evening News for Wednesday, Feb 08, 1978 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. Welcome! Facebook gives people the power to. 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. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. 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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. 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. 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. 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. His death and the light punishment the officers received would spark the infamous Moody Park Riot one year later. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. Forty years ago Torres was killed by police in an incident that sparked massive riots across Houston. During the research process, Moravec found that the Chicano Squad posted a consistently higher clearance rate than other HPD units. Truth about Covid care home testing row: Timeline lays bare what was said, by who and when. In 1977 Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. 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. Who Said It: Legendary Houston Comedian Bill Hicks or New El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks? The convicted former officers are Terry W. Denson, 27, and Stephen Orlando, 22. Once there, officials refused to book him because of the extent of his injuries, and ordered that he be admitted to a hospital. Other problems ; we are continuing to work to improve these archived.... For many of the Civilian Review Board the shopping center were gutted by the morning..., Officer Terry Denson was married to Tennie E. ( Kimbrough ) Denson on October,. 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