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. Torres, an American citizen and a former serviceman, was wearing combat boots at the time of the fatal plunge. 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. Assistant District Attorney Ted Poe talks about coordination between the District Attorney's Office and the grand jury. Attorneys for the three defendants said they would probably appeal the verdict. The Department of Justice is supposed to fill that leadership role at a national level. Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. Torres was 23 on the night of May 5, 1977, when he was arrested for disorderly conduct at a bar, according to reports from the Houston Chronicle at the time. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Note to sponsor members: The Vanderbilt Television News Archive video player requires a modern operating system and browser to work properly. After a jail booking officer refused to accept Torres because of his injuries and ordered him taken to a hospital, the officers returned to the secluded spot, where one of them allegedly pushed him over a 17-foot embankment into the water after saying, "Let's see if this wetback can swim.". That sort of exchange previously would have been unimaginable. The victim, Joe Campos Torres, 23, allegedly was dumped off the 25-foot retaining wall into the bayou last Friday. Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. Im not an immigration officer. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Joe Campos Torres. 1 most stressful city for workers in U.S. Can Alperen Sengun become a passable defender for the Rockets? 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. Joining HPD was regarded almost as a betrayal. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. On May 5, 1977, Campos Torres, was arrested at a bar for disorderly conduct. 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. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner comforts Margarita Campos Torres, the mother of 23-year-old Jose Campos Torres killed by police in 1977, as they stand in front of a trail at 1301 Commerce with an Army photo of her son dedicated in his honor April 2 in downtown Houston. 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. Nonetheless, Garcia said he is distressed by incidents, including the recent shooting deaths of a black police erroneously believed to be an armed robber and of a 16-year-old unarmed Mexican-American burglary suspect. Here are four Houston murders that made news and, in three cases, changed the justice system. 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. 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. 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. 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.. Defense attorney Mike Ramsey and his client, Steven Orlando, follow. 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. The cops got to go home to their families while he was floating in the water for three days.". 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. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, where jailers refused to process him due to his injuries. Torres's body was found two days later. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. Where's my brother? 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. 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. And once the word got out, they trusted us.. Consider it our city's version of the Ferguson protests. Houston police officers administer first aid to Officer Tommy A. Britt, injured by a car that broke through a police line at Irvington and Fulton during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. The 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. In interviews with members of the Chicano Squad, the podcast shines a light on its predicament. Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Longtime Virginia men's basketball coach Terry Holland has died, the school announced Monday. 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. For Alonzo, the Chicano Squad is a reminder that reform is possible, even if its difficult to sustain. In 1977 Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. 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. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights violations and served nine months in prison. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. Who Said It: Legendary Houston Comedian Bill Hicks or New El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks? 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. 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. 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. Top 5 Sickest Stephen King Sex Scenes (NSFW), The 10 Best And Most Controversial Hustler Magazine Covers Ever (NSFW). Anyone can read what you share. Sam Buyajian 33, surveys the wreckage of his drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton. Officer Terry W. Denson, 27, is charged with murder in Torres' death. His body was found by a boater three days later. 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. 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. Campos Torres was beaten by six officers for hours before they took him to the city jail. Last month, members of Congress visited our city to learn about HPD's successful community programs. 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. 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. [Victim's mother Margaret TORRES - feels happy because she wanted justice and doesn't want this to happen again.] The pain is a lot deeper than what you could have ever imagined. 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. Vilma Martinez, president of the MexicanAmerican Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also called for the judge's impeachment. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. 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. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando, were charged with murder. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. He drowned after being beaten by officers and thrown into Buffalo Bayou. By John M. Crewdson; Special to The New York Times. The 14-year-old was cowering against the wall when he was shot. "We never got justice," his sister Sandra Torres told the Houston Chronicle in 2011. 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. 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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. 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. Looters struck the store during a riot that began at Moody Park. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Torres. 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. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. More than 40 people were arrested during the riots, which became nationwide news and led to the creation of HPD's internal affairs department. All the while, she draws parallels to present-day discrimination against Latinos and the ongoing demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. Dolph Briscoe, prompted the Department of Justice to seek indictments against the former officers on charges of having violated Mr. Torres's civil rights. 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. Sentencing offenders to perform humiliating tasks like shoveling manure, he became known as the "King of Shame." 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. 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. 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. 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. Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando two of the arresting officers were charged with murder following the discovery of Torres' body. Mr. Elliott later became a prosecution witness at both trials. Mr. Torres's body was found in a Houston bayou on May 9, 1977, two days after he was arrested by Mr. Denson and other officers in a latenight barroom disturbance. That trial took place in Huntsville, Tex., 70 miles north of Houston, because the defendants had said they could not get a fair trial in Houston. Police grab an unidentified suspect believed to have thrown a brick during riot at Moody Park. Films shown; previous state trial of 2 officers and demands of local Mex.-Americans for Justice Department probe noted. 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. Once there, officials refused to book him because of the extent of his injuries, and ordered that he be admitted to a hospital. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. The department wanted to rebuild its reputation fast. In addition to having a strong work ethic, Montero said, the officers should hail from the neighborhoods they would be policing. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. During the research process, Moravec found that the Chicano Squad posted a consistently higher clearance rate than other HPD units. 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. 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. Holland, 80, previously was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. "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. Chip Gaines Bought Larry McMurtrys Historic Texas Bookstore. 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. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers to a year's probation and a $1 fine. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Terry W. Denson. 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. The six arresting officers instead took him, once again, to The Hole. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. The squad did not have a single fatal officer-involved shooting during its three-decade tenure. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. Instead, they returned him to the hole, where they continued to beat him, and where he was either pushed or fell into the bayou. Decades before the recent police violence in Memphis, a brutally beaten Latino man was tossed by officers into a Houston bayou and drowned. Officer Terry Denson came up with the idea: "Let's see if the wetback can swim," he said. 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. (Studio) Report on conviction of 3 former Houston policemen accused of violating civil rights of Mex.-American who drowned while in their custody. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Phone 615-322-2927. Past charges of brutality against Houston Police Department noted. local news and culture, Olivia Flores Alvarez Its possible.. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. 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. News car burns in background as youths prepare to burn Houston police car on Fulton Street. 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. In the case of [Torres], theres racism, theres extreme brutality.. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. His body was found days later. He said it demonstrated once again that there is "a dual standard of justice" in Texas, adding, "Our only redress in the federal courts.". In 2004, Poe was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving for 14 years. By Gloria Rubac posted on April 12, 2022. A group of Houston police cadets gathered Friday morning to hear family members of Joe Campos Torres speak of their loved one's death by officers in 1977. . All of the jurors were white, none was Mexican-American and five either worked for law enforcement agencies or had relatives who did. 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. 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. "All those cops, they just got a slap on the wrist, and you know what? Austin, TX 78751. 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. Torres' nephew, Richard Molina, said the family is in communication with the city to find a proper way to memorialize his uncle. Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' Divers were hoping to find a wallet belonging to Torres. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. [Houston United States attorney Tony CANALES - thinks justice served.] Terry Denson, 27; Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 22 -- said they do not plan to appeal the . Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Houston. At least 22 persons were arrested at a city park after violence broke out in the chiefly Mexican-American neighborhood following a disturbance which led to vandalism and bottle throwing among the estimated mob of 1,500 persons. The 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. A third officer, J.J. Janish, was charged with misdemeanor assault. David Courtney, a.k.a. Given the departments broken relationship with the Latino community, making headway on the cases would be extremely difficult, especially because of the officer recruitment problem. Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Oops! Join Facebook to connect with Terry Denson and others you may know. 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. Any editing, reproduction, publication, rebroadcast, public showing or public display may be prohibited by copyright laws. | Torres' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen. It is the headquarters for the Texas prison system. 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 . "Let's see if the wetback can swim." With those words, Officer. 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. When you look at the records of some of their arrests, youll find lacerated livers, fractured skulls, broken hands. In 1977, Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. 1 of 2. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Forty years ago Torres was killed by police in an incident that sparked massive riots across Houston. 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. Buffalo Bayou near Commerce St. Tuesday May 6, 2014. His drowned body was found three days later on May 8, 1977 - exactly 40 years ago today. Forty-five year struggle wins a bit of justice. 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. 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. 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. Truth about Covid care home testing row: Timeline lays bare what was said, by who and when. Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder. 'I will never be the same, my family will never be the same. We can only hope that the next congressional delegation brings along Sessions so that he, too, can learn the story of Joe Campos Torres and Chief Caldwell. She blends vividly reported details of decades-old events with personal anecdotes of similar struggles. 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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 . But as Alonzo points out: the squads role wasnt to patrol these neighborhoods, it was to solve the crimes that were plaguing them. The two officers convicted in the Torres' case are expected to be sentenced within a few days. 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. 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. 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. Terry W Denson of Harris County, Texas was born c. 1950. Houston, and its police department, had to respond. 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. Become a passable defender for the three defendants said they would be policing you look at the of... 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