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. 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. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. Officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were indicted for murder on June 28. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. . 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. The squads success came from how connected they were to these neighborhoods. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. 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. 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. 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. Consider it our city's version of the Ferguson protests. On the one-year anniversary of Torres' death, the simmering social unrest erupted into riots. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. 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. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. 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.". Its not uncommon for the stories of Latinos to be minimized or excluded entirely from Texas history books. In 2010, because HPDs increasingly diverse workforce now includes a higher number of Spanish-speaking officers, the group was disbanded. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Mr. Torres was arrested May 5 at Houston tavern on charges of disturbing the peace. When they brought him to the station, according to the testimony of a police sergeant on duty, Mr. Torres needed medical treatment. When Black and Latino communities are asking for change, some people treat it like an impossibility, she says. When police attempted to make an arrest at a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Moody Park, attendees began throwing rocks and overturning police cars. 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. ', Torres' sister Janie said she was 10 at the time of her brother's death and that her family was never the same. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. By John M. Crewdson; Special to The New York Times. 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. Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. 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. Officer Terry W. Denson, 27, is charged with murder in Torres' death. 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. His drowned body was found three days later on May 8, 1977 - exactly 40 years ago today. "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. 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. Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Terry W. Denson. Houstonians should take pride in knowing that a once-troubled department is now a model for the nation. The case became a national symbol of police brutality against Hispanics in the Southwest. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. The judge received dismissed the case without explanation. Service station vandalized by riotersduring riot at Moody Park. October 18, 2016 Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. 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. The Department of Justice is supposed to fill that leadership role at a national level. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican-American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. local news and culture, Olivia Flores Alvarez Austin, TX 78751. 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. Join Facebook to connect with Terry Denson and others you may know. 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. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. Houston firemen fight a blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. His death and the light punishment the officers received would spark the infamous Moody Park Riot one year later. 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. The three former officers, Terry W. Denson, 29 years old, Joseph J. Janish, 25 and Stephen Orlando, 24, were found guilty in Judge Sterling's court last year of responsibility for the death by. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. 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. 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. Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Oops! 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. But Glenn L. Brinkmeyer, 25, one of those given immunity and an officer in whose wedding Denson had served as a groomsman, testified that Denson had pushed Torres. The violence May 7 left five police officers and two newsmen injured, and several stores in the area burned or looted. Chief Bond comments on the function of the Civilian Review Board. [Houston United States attorney Tony CANALES - thinks justice served.] Police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. The unidentified suspect was suspected of throwing a brick during the riot. The 14-year-old was cowering against the wall when he was shot. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. 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. 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. Houston firemen fight blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. This was a test, and they had only a few months to prove themselves. Two days after Torres was arrested, his mangled body was found floating in Buffalo Bayou. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. How the Houston Zoo moved its flock of flamingos to a new home, Why the Texans should take Bijan Robinson with the No. Police attempts to break up the crowd were met with waves of retaliation by the attendees. Its possible.. 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. . Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. More than 40 people were arrested during the riots, which became nationwide news and led to the creation of HPD's internal affairs department. 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. In interviews with members of the Chicano Squad, the podcast shines a light on its predicament. View other clips in this broadcast . 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. 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. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. A year later and still feeling as though justice had not been served, members of Houstons Hispanic community rose up in a post Cinco de Mayo riot at the citys Moody Park. The judge gave the three suspended sentences of 10 years, plus five years probation, on the felony charge that resulted from Mr. Torres's death. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. Officials at the jail refused to book Torres due to his injuries, and told the officers to bring him to a hospital. ", 40 years ago police killed Joe Campos Torres sparking massive Moody Park Riots. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. 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. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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.. Once there, officials refused to book him because of the extent of his injuries, and ordered that he be admitted to a hospital. 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. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. The appeals court did not specify the severity of the sentences to be imposed, however, and John Wilson, a Justice Department spokesman in Washington, said that no further appeals would be forthcoming because the judge had acted within the limits of the order.. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanor . After adjustments, if you continue to experience problems, please contact us. It is the headquarters for the Texas prison system. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. Defense attorney Bob Bennett and his client, Terry Denson, exit the courtroom to deliver comments to the press. 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. For many of the victims they interviewed, the officers presence did make a difference. The Cavaliers said . He drowned after being beaten by officers and thrown into Buffalo Bayou. Janie Torres is the sister of Jose "Joe" Campos Torres, who on May 5, 1977 was beaten and thrown into Buffalo Bayou by Houston police officers. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. 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