The comments below have not been moderated. 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. The people would open their hearts towards us because we were able to communicate with them, Mosqueda says in the podcast. 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 judge sentenced them to one year of probation and fined them each $1. 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. The Government appealed, arguing that probation was not permissible in cases where the possible penalty was life in prison, as it is in Federal civil rights cases in which the victim has died. Testimony at the Federal trial alleged that Mr. Torres was beaten severely after his arrest and forced to jump into the bayou by Mr. Denson, who told the man he wanted to see if a wetback can swim. Mr. Torres was a native Houstonian and a Vietnam veteran. City Employees Are Heading for the Exits. Watch: Astros SP Luis Garcia debuts new windup after rule changes, Oops! The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. Houston firemen put out fire of burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. 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 Denson came up with the idea: "Let's see if the wetback can swim," he said. The six arresting officers instead took him, once again, to The Hole. This was a test, and they had only a few months to prove themselves. Houston Police Chief B. G. "Pappy" Bond holds a press conference in his office. Garcia said there had been progress in that Chief Harry Caldwell has required officers to register the extra weapons they carry with them, has banned the use of "long rifles" such as deer rifles, and has forbidden officers to shoot at fleeing suspects who aren't threatening their safety or that of others. Because the felony and misdemeanor sentences are concurrent, the three will probably serve less than a year in prison. The Cavaliers said . Houston police officers during riot at Moody Park. 512-485-3073 12 pick, Tips for bringing your dog or cat on a flight, West Texans share apocalyptic photos of after massive dust storm, This Houston rodeo food vendor wants you to eat his rattlesnake. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. You've got five officers sworn to protect, five, sworn to protect and serve and murdered an active military soldier,'. Facebook gives people the power to. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Joe Campos Torres. The family was surrounded by hundreds of supporters and friends as . News car burns in background as youths prepare to burn Houston police car on Fulton Street. The officers on trial, Stephen Orlando, 21 years old, and Terry Denson . For Alonzo, the Chicano Squad is a reminder that reform is possible, even if its difficult to sustain. 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. Slowly, the Chicano Squad earned back the trust that HPD had lost. Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the appeal and ordered Judge Sterling to impose prison terms. 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. Campos Torres was beaten by six officers for hours before they took him to the city jail. HPD is now hiring for our upcoming classes. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. In the wake of Torress death, frustrated residents of Houstons barrios staged rallies and protests around the city. The widely publicized case was moved on a change of venue to Huntsville, a town of 20,000, about 70 miles north of Houston. For many of the victims they interviewed, the officers presence did make a difference. 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. State District Judge James Warref of Walker County sentenced them to one year probation and a $1 fine. Divers search the Buffalo Bayou site where Joe Campos Torres' body was found floating May 8, 1977. Consider it our city's version of the Ferguson protests. 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. We need to be honest about our history in order to learn from it, because decades later, the same thing is still happening., For decades before Torress murder, violent encounters with HPD officers had soured the relationship between the police department and the citys Black and Latino communities. 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. Past charges of brutality against Houston Police Department noted. 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. In 1978, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Moody Park erupted into riots. "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. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. Judge Sterling, who issued the sentences today without comment, was appointed to the Federal bench by President Ford in 1976. And as Mosqueda recalls, many non-Latino officers were happy to throw around the word wetbackthe same pejorative hurled at Torres before his death. Chief Bond comments on the function of the Civilian Review Board. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. It's never had its own day, but is definitely something that should be remembered, a lesson of Houston history and among Mexican-Americans. West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country, The Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints: 2021 Edition, Jimmy Carters Peanut-and-Egg Taco Made Quite the Impression on San Antonians, The Campaign to Sabotage Texass Public Schools. See the article in its original context from. When they brought him to the station, according to the testimony of a police sergeant on duty, Mr. Torres needed medical treatment. 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. Houston Police lineup in riot gearin the 1978 Moody Park riots.. Houston Police in riot gearin the 1978 Moody Park riots.. Houston police make arrests in the 1978 Moody Park riots. 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. By John M. Crewdson; Special to The New York Times. An all-white jury found them guilty of negligent homicidea misdemeanorand sentenced the officers. 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. 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. Each to Serve Extra Day for Roles in Suspect's Death Judge Assailed as Too Lenient. In their barrios, things werent much better. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. 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. 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. This is a carousel. 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. Find Terry Denson's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. The Killing of Jos Campos Torres. She blends vividly reported details of decades-old events with personal anecdotes of similar struggles. More often than not, they were the first Spanish-speaking officers the victims had come into contact with. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The victim, Joe Campos Torres, 23, allegedly was dumped off the 25-foot retaining wall into the bayou last Friday. Report: Houston is the No. Austin, TX 78751, Grand Jury Investigation into the Death of Jos Campos Torres (1977). Rishi Sunak is urgently reviewing his private exchanges with Matt Hancock after bombshell leak of ex-Health 'Drinks cold in fridge at DH!' Leave them blank to get signed up. Austin, TX 78751. Judge Sterling has been criticized recently by some members of a Federal grand jury here that handed up antiracketeering indictments against two oilbrokering firms. Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Torres. Today, Campos Torres' family is working to erect an official marker to commemorate his death and the riots. The Justice Department brought civil rights charges against the three after Mr. Denson and Mr. Orlando were acquitted of murder charges in state court. Torres' nephew, Richard Molina, said the family is in communication with the city to find a proper way to memorialize his uncle. 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. Officer Terry Denson reportedly used . Mr. Torres was arrested May 5 at Houston tavern on charges of disturbing the peace. Torres, an American citizen and a former serviceman, was wearing combat boots at the time of the fatal plunge. 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. Terry Denson often than not, they were the first Spanish-speaking officers the victims had come contact... 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