terry denson houston police
Calbillo is one of several people working to get a historical marker for Joe Campos Torres. 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. Torres, a 23-year-old Mexican American and Vietnam War veteran, drowned . As news of the atrocity spread, Torress name became a rallying cry that united the citys Latino community in its search for justice. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Films shown; previous state trial of 2 officers and demands of local Mex.-Americans for Justice Department probe noted. Sometimes it's our sports teams, sometimes it's the happenings over at NASA, a breakthrough at the Medical Center or our atrocious weather that's in the headlines. Robert Bennett, attorney for Mr. Denson, who had been specifically charged with pushing Mr. Torres into the water, said that he would argue against a prison sentence for his client. 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. Sentencing offenders to perform humiliating tasks like shoveling manure, he became known as the "King of Shame." Two days later, his body was found badly beaten floating in Buffalo Bayou. and help keep the future of the Houston Press, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our, HPD Investigating Victims' Crime Advocate Andy Kahan, A Murder in Montrose: the Paul Broussard Legacy. Mr. Torres was arrested May 5 at Houston tavern on charges of disturbing the peace. 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.'. Sam Buyajian 33, surveys the wreckage of his drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton. Testimony indicated that Oralando, who drove the patrol car in which Torres was transported, had encouraged Denson by "this would be a good time" to see if "the wetback" could swim. According to Houston police, they got a call about a missing 3-year-old girl at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday. 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Crewdson; Special to The New York Times. Films shown; previous state trial of 2 officers and demands of local Mex.-Americans for Justice Department probe noted. Where's my brother? 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. View the profiles of people named Terry Denson. But as Alonzo points out: the squads role wasnt to patrol these neighborhoods, it was to solve the crimes that were plaguing them. You may visit the Television News Archive on the Vanderbilt campus to view on-site from the Archive's collection. HPD offers a rewarding career, exceptional benefits and a competitive salary. info@texasarchive.org Phone 615-322-2927. Officer Terry Denson reportedly used . 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. Carrying picket signs reading "Protection not police brutality" and "Stop the war against Chicano people," the demonstrators were protesting the police-involved death of Jos Campos Torres. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. After their conviction in March of last year, Judge Sterling sentenced the three former officers, all of whom were dismissed by the Houston Police Department within hours of the discovery of Mr. Torres's body, to a year in prison on the misdemeanor charge. After the Huntsville verdict was reached last fall, pressure from Texas political leaders, including Gov. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. 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. As the story goes, the 23-year-old was beaten so severely that authorities refused to accept him into the City Jail. 1977 - Joe Campos Torres -- his death triggered an outcry from the Mexican-American community about police brutality in Houston. 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. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. 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. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando, were charged with murder. Torres's body was found two days later. ', Torres' sister Janie said she was 10 at the time of her brother's death and that her family was never the same. You were a victim [of a crime], so Im going to treat you as a victim. See the article in its original context from. The comments below have not been moderated. 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. 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. The location is just off the 1200 block of Commerce. Above is the abstract of the item that you're interested in viewing from the Vanderbilt Television News Archive's collection. (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. Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Longtime Virginia men's basketball coach Terry Holland has died, the school announced Monday. 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. 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. Protesters met at Commerce and San Jacinto near the site where the body of Joe Campos Torres was found May 8. Two of the officers who had beaten Torres, Terry W. Denson and Stephen. This unedited footage from Houston's KPRC-TV captures protesters outside the Houston Police Department headquarters on May 16, 1977. The former officers have admitted that they beat their handcuffed prisoner for insolence before booking him. His body was found by a boater three days later. Buffalo Bayou near Commerce St. Tuesday May 6, 2014. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. Assistant District Attorney Ted Poe talks about coordination between the District Attorney's Office and the grand jury. A convenience store/drive-in grocery at 3814 Fulton is vandalized by riotersin the 1978 Moody Park riots. 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. Each to Serve Extra Day for Roles in Suspect's Death Judge Assailed as Too Lenient. The Houston Police Department Chicano Squad, founded in 1979 after the killing of Jose Campos Torres. Divers search the Buffalo Bayou site where Joe Campos Torres' body was found floating May 8, 1977. Torres was allegedly beaten and then drowned by Houston police. The US Department of Justice subsequently conducted its own investigation. 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. On the night of May 5, 1977, Houston police officers arrested Torres at an East End bar for disorderly conduct. Terry W. Denson and Stephen Orlando two of the arresting officers were charged with murder following the discovery of Torres' body. The city was quickly growing into the murder capital of the United States as a slew of unsolved killings in Houstons barrios piled up. CBS Evening News for Wednesday, Feb 08, 1978 Houston police take man into custody during Moody Park riot that broke out following a Cinco de Mayo celebration in the park. His drowned body was found three days later on May 8, 1977 - exactly 40 years ago today. 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. Following another beating, officers pushed Torres off a raised platform into Buffalo Bayou. ", 40 years ago police killed Joe Campos Torres sparking massive Moody Park Riots. Two Houston police officers stand guard over a wrecked convenience store at 3814 Fulton. Torres, an American citizen and a former serviceman, was wearing combat boots at the time of the fatal plunge. | 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. Terry W Denson of Harris County, Texas was born c. 1950. By Gloria Rubac posted on April 12, 2022. Denson testified that Torres had said he could swim and had jumped into the water. Articles about the drowning of Joe Campos Torres appeared in the Houston Chronicle on May 15, 1977. With limited resources and no prior detective training, they faced scrutiny from all sides. This connection to Torres and to the officers on the Chicano Squad is what allows Alonzo to shine as a host. Holland, 80, previously was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Because the felony and misdemeanor sentences are concurrent, the three will probably serve less than a year in prison. The judge received dismissed the case without explanation. 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. Material supplied by VTNA may be used for educational analysis or research only. The Justice Department brought civil rights charges against the three after Mr. Denson and Mr. Orlando were acquitted of murder charges in state court. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. 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. The jury returned a probated sentence of one year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Terry Denson in Texas. Judge Sterling has been criticized recently by some members of a Federal grand jury here that handed up antiracketeering indictments against two oilbrokering firms. Decades before the recent police violence in Memphis, a brutally beaten Latino man was tossed by officers into a Houston bayou and drowned. Torres drowned after he had been arrested by Houston police officers for creating a disturbance in an East End bar. 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. Burning car flipped during a riot that began in nearby Moody Park. Mimi Swartz is a staff writer based in Houston. Torres' mother was quoted as saying, "If five Mexican killed a cop, it wouldn't be like this. Carlos Calbillo sits on railing near Buffalo Bayou near Commerce Street, the area where his friend Joe Campos Torres was killed by police in 1977. The Department of Justice is supposed to fill that leadership role at a national level. 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. Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the appeal and ordered Judge Sterling to impose prison terms. 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. 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. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. "The environment that created the Torres case continues to exist," Garcia said, "and we can expect a continuation of the same kind of thing.". 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. 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. Cat Cardenas is a writer focused on culture, entertainment, and the states Latino community. The former policemen had been on trial in connection with the drowning death of her son. 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. A gutted variety store at a shopping center in the 3100 block of Fulton. [Victim's mother Margaret TORRES - feels happy because she wanted justice and doesn't want this to happen again.] Torres' death and the light punishment the officers involved received would spark the infamous Moody Park riot one year later. 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. David Courtney, a.k.a. Three buildings in the shopping center were gutted by the fire. Though he served in that role for less than three years, Caldwell instituted key reforms that still exist today, such as HPD's first internal affairs department, HPD's first formal manual and the first liaisons to minority communities. During the research process, Moravec found that the Chicano Squad posted a consistently higher clearance rate than other HPD units. Chief Bond introduces possible disciplinary action against the offending officers through the civil service law, KPRC reporter Don Shelby speculates on the possibility of a second assault on Torres in between the time when officers brought him to the jail and when he ended up in the bayou. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. More than 40 people were arrested during the riots, which became nationwide news and led to the creation of HPD's internal affairs department. 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. The convicted former officers are Terry W. Denson, 27, and Stephen Orlando, 22. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 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. 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. And as Mosqueda recalls, many non-Latino officers were happy to throw around the word wetbackthe same pejorative hurled at Torres before his death. In the case of [Torres], theres racism, theres extreme brutality.. The 14-year-old was cowering against the wall when he was shot. 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. 3908 Avenue B, Suite 105 Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Terry W. Denson. 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. The unidentified suspect was suspected of throwing a brick during the riot. The department wanted to rebuild its reputation fast. 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. "Let's see if the wetback can swim." With those words, Officer. Six police officers took Torres to a spot called "The Hole" next to Buffalo Bayou and beat him. 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. A new podcast explores the history of the Chicano Squad as part of a Houston police department effort to repair its broken relationship with the Latino community. Surviving members of Torres' family also spoke on Sunday. Terry Denson, 27; Stephen Orlando, 22, and Joseph J. Janish, 22 -- said they do not plan to appeal the . 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. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Facebook gives people the power to. "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. There, they brutally beat him for several hours. A Right-wing Cabal Took Over Odessas Municipal Government. 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. 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.'. Anyone can read what you share. [Houston United States attorney Tony CANALES - thinks justice served.] His body would end up in the Buffalo Bayou, where it was found three days later. Two additional officers at the scene, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, were suspended from duty but granted immunity by the state in exchange for their testimony. Vilma Martinez, president of the MexicanAmerican Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also called for the judge's impeachment. 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. 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. Forty-five year struggle wins a bit of justice. His body was found on May 8Mother's Day. Rioters looted and set fire to a shopping center, and fifteen people were injured including five police officers and two news personnel. A third officer, J.J. Janish, was charged with misdemeanor assault. While speakers from the La Raza Unida party, the Texas Farmworkers Union, the Barrios Unidos en Defensa and the Torres family addressed the crowd, the father of the dead man, Joe Torres Sr., watched with his wife Margaret. 512-485-3073 The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. 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. Torres was 23 on the night of May 5, 1977, when he was arrested for disorderly conduct at a bar, according to reports from the Houston Chronicle at the time. By the time Torres arrived at the jail, authorities refused to book him due to the extent of his injuries. Austin, TX 78751. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Denson and Orlando were also convicted of assault and sentenced to nine months in prison. 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. Officer Terry W. Denson, 27, is charged with murder in Torres' death. Joining HPD was regarded almost as a betrayal. The officers involved were found guilty of negligent homicide and ultimately given a year and a day in prison for civil rights violations. The Torres case prompted the Houston Police Department to create its Internal Affairs Division in 1977. Five of the officers were charged in the death, with two convicted of negligent homicide, and the other three convicted of violating Torres' civil rights. "No parade, no day of remembrance. 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. The state granted immunity for two others, Glenn Brinkmeyer and Lewis Kinney, in exchange for their testimony. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. ", 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. Officers Terry Denson and Stephen Orlando were convicted of negligent homicide, a misdemeanor, and were fined $1 and sentenced to probation. A local boat operator called the police, identifying Torres by the military dog tags still hanging around his neck. This has destroyed all of us. And those who chronicled the attack said the executioner was. 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. When police attempted to make an arrest at a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Moody Park, attendees began throwing rocks and overturning police cars. Chicano Squad members recognized at City Hall, Houston, 2019. six responding Houston Police Department officers, one year of probation and fined them each $1. ' body was found on May 8Mother 's Day a historical marker for Joe Campos Torres sparking massive Moody.... 1977, Houston police Department Chicano Squad is what allows Alonzo to shine as a.... In its search for Justice slap in the Houston police Department to create Internal! 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