To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Officer Terry Denson came up with the idea: "Let's see if the wetback can swim," he said. Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. 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. Past charges of brutality against Houston Police Department noted. For years, [HPD] operated with impunity, he says. Articles about the drowning of Joe Campos Torres appeared in the Houston Chronicle on May 15, 1977. local news and culture, Olivia Flores Alvarez 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. 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. Officials at the jail refused to book Torres due to his injuries, and told the officers to bring him to a hospital. The case and its verdict outraged the local Mexican-American community, sparking protests outside the Harris County Courthouse and police headquarters. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. REPORTER: Dennis Murphy (KHOU-TV) Artist: Harris Milam. Terry W Denson of Harris County, Texas was born c. 1950. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. Buffalo Bayou near Commerce St. Tuesday May 6, 2014. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. Campos Torres was beaten by six officers for hours before they took him to the city jail. On May 8, Mr. Torres's body was found floating in the bayou. In 2010, because HPDs increasingly diverse workforce now includes a higher number of Spanish-speaking officers, the group was disbanded. 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. 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. 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. Vanderbilt Television News Archive Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea 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. 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. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. After adjustments, if you continue to experience problems, please contact us. 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. 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. Police attempts to break up the crowd were met with waves of retaliation by the attendees. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. ', Torres' sister Janie said she was 10 at the time of her brother's death and that her family was never the same. Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. Join Facebook to connect with Terry Denson and others you may know. By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The Justice Department brought civil rights charges against the three after Mr. Denson and Mr. Orlando were acquitted of murder charges in state court. And sometimes it's Houston murders. Decades before the recent police violence in Memphis, a brutally beaten Latino man was tossed by officers into a Houston bayou and drowned. Houston firemen put out fire of burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. In the wake of Torress death, frustrated residents of Houstons barrios staged rallies and protests around the city. To some of their fellow officers, it didnt matter whether they wore a badge or passed their exam, they were Mexicans first. 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. Dozens were arrested and 15 were injured as protesters clashed with police in one of the citys most notorious riots. 512-485-3073 October 18, 2016 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. Holland, 80, previously was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Officer Terry W. Denson, 27, is charged with murder in Torres' death. 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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Vilma Martinez, president of the MexicanAmerican Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also called for the judge's impeachment. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. The officers then took Torres to the city jail, where jailers refused to process him due to his injuries. 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. 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. 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. The former officers have admitted that they beat their handcuffed prisoner for insolence before booking him. Terry Denson in Texas. The three former officers are to be sentenced late next month. Phone 615-322-2927. Terry Denson and Steven Orlando, for murder. Chicano Squad members recognized at City Hall, Houston, 2019. six responding Houston Police Department officers, one year of probation and fined them each $1. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. 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. They were, however, later convicted of civil rights violations and served nine months in prison. 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. The Houston Police Department Chicano Squad, founded in 1979 after the killing of Jose Campos Torres. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. Outraged Mexican-American spokesman immediately called on the U.S. Justice Department to prosecute the case in federal court as a civil rights violation, for which the officers could receive up to life in prison. The protests that . 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. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. Where's my brother? When police attempted to make an arrest at a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Moody Park, attendees began throwing rocks and overturning police cars. The former policemen had been on trial in connection with the drowning death of her son. 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. "'You're not going to take him and do what you did to Joe Campos Torres.". We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. He's gone. Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Longtime Virginia men's basketball coach Terry Holland has died, the school announced Monday. But as Alonzo points out: the squads role wasnt to patrol these neighborhoods, it was to solve the crimes that were plaguing them. 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. On the night of May 5, 1977, Houston police officers arrested Torres at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. We want to let the people know what kind of person he was and what he meant to my family,' Molina said. Forrest Wilder writes about politics and the outdoors. On the one-year anniversary of Torres' death, the simmering social unrest erupted into riots. Two Houston police officers stand guard over a wrecked convenience store at 3814 Fulton. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou. 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. Assistant District Attorney Ted Poe talks about coordination between the District Attorney's Office and the grand jury. After the Huntsville verdict was reached last fall, pressure from Texas political leaders, including Gov. During the research process, Moravec found that the Chicano Squad posted a consistently higher clearance rate than other HPD units. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. The judge received dismissed the case without explanation. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. Torres' mother was quoted as saying, "If five Mexican killed a cop, it wouldn't be like this. The judge sentenced them to one year of probation and fined them each $1. 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 trials drew national attention, and HPDs newly minted internal affairs unit was overwhelmed with complaints. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Houston firemen fight a blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. . Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. [Houston United States attorney Tony CANALES - thinks justice served.] Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. 3908 Avenue B, Suite 105 Cat Cardenas is a writer focused on culture, entertainment, and the states Latino community. 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. When they brought him to the station, according to the testimony of a police sergeant on duty, Mr. Torres needed medical treatment. 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. His body was found days later. Chief Bond comments on the function of the Civilian Review Board. ", 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." Dan Solomon writes about politics, music, food, sports, criminal justice, health care, film, and business. 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. His body was found by a boater three days later. 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. More than 40 people were arrested during the riots, which became nationwide news and led to the creation of HPD's internal affairs department. Forty years ago Torres was killed by police in an incident that sparked massive riots across Houston. City officials vowed to memorialize Torres in some way, The worst thing for her, she said was that, 'No matter how many apologies we get, it can never change the fact because Joe, at the end, never got justice.'. Its possible.. 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' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. 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Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. 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. The officers involved were found guilty of negligent homicide and ultimately given a year and a day in prison for civil rights violations. Mr. Torres was arrested May 5 at Houston tavern on charges of disturbing the peace. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. 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? HPD is now hiring for our upcoming classes. Houston firemen fight blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. 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. 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. Terry Denson was married to Tennie E. (Kimbrough) Denson on October 28, 1971 in Harris County, Texas. 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. 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. His body would end up in the Buffalo Bayou, where it was found three days later. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Because the felony and misdemeanor sentences are concurrent, the three will probably serve less than a year in prison. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. Consider it our city's version of the Ferguson protests. 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. 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. Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the appeal and ordered Judge Sterling to impose prison terms. '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. And to this day, Morales remains skeptical that the Chicano Squad was the answer. A convenience store/drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton is vandalized by riotersin the 1978 Moody Park riots. The six arresting officers instead took him, once again, to The Hole. Jerry Click/ Houston Chronicle Show More Show Less 35 of 56 Houston police officers administer first aid to Officer Tommy A. Britt, injured by a car that broke through a police line at Irvington . Police grab an unidentified suspect believed to have thrown a brick during riot at Moody Park. Torres' nephew, Richard Molina, said the family is in communication with the city to find a proper way to memorialize his uncle. Sam Buyajian 33, surveys the wreckage of his drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton. Rather than transport him to jail for booking, the six responding officers first took Torres to "The Hole," an isolated area behind a warehouse along Buffalo Bayou. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. CBS Evening News for Wednesday, Feb 08, 1978 They had only ninety days to solve them. See the article in its original context from. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. Forty-five year struggle wins a bit of justice. In 1977, Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. 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. When Black and Latino communities are asking for change, some people treat it like an impossibility, she says. 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. 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. A lot has changed since 1979 at HPD, but community policing is really important, Moravec says. 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. Instead, they returned him to the hole, where they continued to beat him, and where he was either pushed or fell into the bayou. David Courtney, a.k.a. 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. info@texasarchive.org 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. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. According to the podcast, between 1950, when the police department hired its first Hispanic officer, and 1970, HPD had hired fewer than 20 Hispanic officers. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers. More often than not, they were the first Spanish-speaking officers the victims had come into contact with. (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. Hernandez, Raymond Gonzalez, and Jose Selvera Jr. On top of their translating work in the field, the squad was also tasked with investigating 52 cases that experienced detectives on the force hadnt been able to crack. All the while, she draws parallels to present-day discrimination against Latinos and the ongoing demonstrations against police brutality and racial injustice. Protesters met at Commerce and San Jacinto near the site where the body of Joe Campos Torres was found May 8. The cops got to go home to their families while he was floating in the water for three days.". The violence May 7 left five police officers and two newsmen injured, and several stores in the area burned or looted. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Instead, they brought him back to the Hole. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. Every passing month seems to bring news of some officer killing an unarmed young man - we're still mourning the death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards in Balch Springs, a Dallas suburb. The girl's parents told the police they went to sleep at about 11 p.m. Saturday, and when . It is the headquarters for the Texas prison system. By Associated Press and Peter Belfiore For Dailymail.Com, Published: 17:01 GMT, 28 June 2021 | Updated: 08:56 GMT, 29 June 2021, Houston's police chief has publicly apologized to the family of a man killed by six officers more than four decades ago, calling it a 'straight-up murder.'. 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.". "No parade, no day of remembrance. 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. Year of probation and fined them each $ 1 and sentenced to probation with police in of. Users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline charges in state court consider it our city version. And the States Latino community described the light sentences as a slap in the shopping center were by! Violence in Memphis, a misdemeanor, and were fined $ 1 is charged with murder in Torres mother! Assault and sentenced to probation police officers took Torres to a hospital her.. 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