Last month, members of Congress visited our city to learn about HPD's successful community programs. Vanderbilt Television News Archive 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. If you are experiencing playback problems, check the minimum requirements and adjust your setup accordingly. The Houston Police Department first arrested Phillips's replacement, a Security Guard Services, Inc. employee named Robert Taylor. View the profiles of people named Terry Denson. Members of Houstons Latino community described the light sentences as a slap in the face. On the first anniversary of Torress death, protests reached a fever pitch during a Cinco de Mayo celebration at Moody Park. | Houston 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. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. Once there, officials refused to book him because of the extent of his injuries, and ordered that he be admitted to a hospital. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. 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. Officials at the jail refused to book Torres due to his injuries, and told the officers to bring him to a hospital. 'Our ultimate goal is humanizing our uncle at this point. Torres subsequently drowned. Police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. 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 protests that . HPD is now hiring for our upcoming classes. Two Houston police officers stand guard over a wrecked convenience store at 3814 Fulton. 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. Forty years ago Torres was killed by police in an incident that sparked massive riots across Houston. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. 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. Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. His drowned body was found three days later on May 8, 1977 - exactly 40 years ago today. Two observers watch as Margaret Torres throws a wreath into Buffalo Bayou in memory of her son, Joe Campos Torres. Latinos around town began pinning a single dollar bill to their shirts, meant to symbolize what their lives were worth in the eyes of the criminal justice system. 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. 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. "No parade, no day of remembrance. They were, however, later convicted of 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. Above is the abstract of the item that you're interested in viewing from the Vanderbilt Television News Archive's collection. David Courtney, a.k.a. 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. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. Articles about the drowning of Joe Campos Torres appeared in the Houston Chronicle on May 15, 1977. Houstonians should take pride in knowing that a once-troubled department is now a model for the nation. 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 taking him directly to the nearby jail, six responding Houston Police Department officers took a detour to a secluded spot near Buffalo Bayou that they called The Hole. Slowly, the Chicano Squad earned back the trust that HPD had lost. The other count, a misdemeanor violation of Mr. Torres's rights by intimidation, carries a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. One of them removed the handcuffs. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. The officers on trial, Stephen Orlando, 21 years old, and Terry Denson . Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. Instead, the officers returned to The Hole, where they continued to beat Torres. Become a member to support the independent voice of Houston 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. . Defense attorney Bob Bennett and his client, Terry Denson, exit the courtroom to deliver comments to the press. 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. 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. 1 most stressful city for U.S. workers, Houston leaders delay vote on Hobby Airport concesssions contract, Bun B on bringing Southern rap stars to Houston's Rodeo, Astros GM provides update on Yordan Alvarez's hand injury, KPRC 2 anchor Brandon Walker announces he is leaving network, Houston facing severe thunderstorms, possible tornadoes Thursday, Witnesses reflect on LA's Rodney King riot 25 years later, A look at prominent figures in the Rodney King riots, Watch: Houston Astros' Luis Garcia debuts new windup, Houston pitmaster goes viral after hilarious on-air interview with reporter, 'Call me a Nazi': Former Houston-area pastor calls for state book ban, Houston is in for dust and gray skies as Texas haboob hits city, Former KHOU 11 anchor Lily Jang turns layoff into lucrative real estate career, Your essential and exhaustive guide to 2023 Houston rodeo food. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Torres's body was found two days later. 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. 110 Twenty-first Avenue South, Suite 704 Nashville, TN 37203, USA. "'You're not going to take him and do what you did to Joe Campos Torres.". Following a month-long trial, an all-white jury convicted Denson and Orlando on a reduced charge of negligent homicidea misdemeanoron October 6. 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. 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.'. The convicted former officers are Terry W. Denson, 27, and Stephen Orlando, 22. In 2010, because HPDs increasingly diverse workforce now includes a higher number of Spanish-speaking officers, the group was disbanded. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Joe Campos Torres. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. Where's my brother? . The two officers convicted in the Torres' case are expected to be sentenced within a few days. In 1977, Joe Campos Torres had been arrested at a Houston bar for disorderly conduct. 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. 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. On the one-year anniversary of Torres' death, the simmering social unrest erupted into riots. Houston firemen fight a blaze which was reportedly set by rioters in the 4400 block of Fulton. Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. The trials drew national attention, and HPDs newly minted internal affairs unit was overwhelmed with complaints. About 100 persons rallied Saturday in front of the Houston police station to protest the sentences two former officers received following the death of Joe Campos Torres. 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. October 18, 2016 On May 8, Mr. Torres's body was found floating in the bayou. His body was found by a boater three days later. 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