If you are experiencing playback problems, check the minimum requirements and adjust your setup accordingly. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Houston makes national news all the time. 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. A number of people have since been tried. The three former officers are to be sentenced late next month. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. 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. Here are four Houston murders that made news and, in three cases, changed the justice system. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. 'My mother was never the same after Jose was killed,' his sister Janie Torres, who was 10 at the time her brother's death, said. Torres' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. And to this day, Morales remains skeptical that the Chicano Squad was the answer. 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. 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. 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. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. Vanderbilt Television News Archive He drowned after being beaten by officers and thrown into Buffalo Bayou. The city was quickly growing into the murder capital of the United States as a slew of unsolved killings in Houstons barrios piled up. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Longtime Virginia men's basketball coach Terry Holland has died, the school announced Monday. 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. View Terry Denson results in Texas (TX) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. 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. Torres, an American citizen and a former serviceman, was wearing combat boots at the time of the fatal plunge. This is a carousel. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Carlos Calbillo sat on railing next to Buffalo Bayou near Commerce Street Tuesday. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen. "All those cops, they just got a slap on the wrist, and you know what? 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. With limited resources and no prior detective training, they faced scrutiny from all sides. 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. The comments below have not been moderated. Houston Police Chief B. G. "Pappy" Bond holds a press conference in his office. Any time in the penitentiary would be unacceptable, Mr. Bennett said, adding that Mr. Denson was an outstanding public servant to this community.. Material supplied by VTNA may be used for educational analysis or research only. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Terry W. Denson. 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. Of the six, initially only officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were charged with murder. The former officers have admitted that they beat their handcuffed prisoner for insolence before booking him. 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. Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando two of the arresting officers were charged with murder following the discovery of Torres' body. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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. Taylor Prewitt is the newsletter editor for Texas Monthly. 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 officers then took Torres to the city jail, where jailers refused to process him due to his injuries. 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.. Leave them blank to get signed up. A convenience store/drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton is vandalized by riotersin the 1978 Moody Park riots. Dozens were arrested and 15 were injured as protesters clashed with police in one of the citys most notorious riots. You have three options if you'd like to view this item: If you believe that you are associated with a sponsoring college or university and have received this message in error, please let us know. 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. A third officer, J.J. Janish, was charged with misdemeanor assault. 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. Many segments are silent and would have been voiced over by the anchorperson during a live broadcast. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. When Black and Latino communities are asking for change, some people treat it like an impossibility, she says. 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. . 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. Bring on the Shiplap? We want to let the people know what kind of person he was and what he meant to my family,' Molina said. Chicano Squad members recognized at City Hall, Houston, 2019. six responding Houston Police Department officers, one year of probation and fined them each $1. The cops got to go home to their families while he was floating in the water for three days.". 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. Their convictions were for criminally negligent homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor. When you look at the records of some of their arrests, youll find lacerated livers, fractured skulls, broken hands. As news of the atrocity spread, Torress name became a rallying cry that united the citys Latino community in its search for justice. 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. 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. But the Chicano Squad moved mountains with the little resources they had. Any editing, reproduction, publication, rebroadcast, public showing or public display may be prohibited by copyright laws. All six officers were found guilty of violating Torres' civil rights, and given a ten-year suspended sentence. The unidentified suspect was suspected of throwing a brick during the riot. 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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Bond resigned months later after only serving a year. Officers Terry Denson and Steven Orlando were indicted for murder on June 28. As we said at the time: what difference is it going to make to have the cops speaking Spanish when they brutalize and murder someone? he asks on the podcast. . 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. 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. And those who chronicled the attack said the executioner was. Slowly, the Chicano Squad earned back the trust that HPD had lost. Phone 615-322-2927. 1 most stressful city for workers in U.S. Can Alperen Sengun become a passable defender for the Rockets? 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. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers to a year's probation and a $1 fine. A desk sergeant ordered the six officers to take Torres to Ben Taub General Hospital for medical treatment. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. 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. Consider it our city's version of the Ferguson protests. In interviews with members of the Chicano Squad, the podcast shines a light on its predicament. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. Each to Serve Extra Day for Roles in Suspect's Death Judge Assailed as Too Lenient. "'You're not going to take him and do what you did to Joe Campos Torres.". By the following morning, 28 demonstrators had been taken into custody. Its not uncommon for the stories of Latinos to be minimized or excluded entirely from Texas history books. 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