José "Joe"[2] Campos Torres (December 20, 1953 – May 5, 1977) was a 23-year-old Mexican-American and veteran who was beaten by several Houston Police Department (HPD) officers, which subsequently led to his death.
He had been brutally assaulted by a group of on-duty police officers on May 5, 1977, after being arrested for disorderly conduct at a bar in Houston's Mexican-American East End neighborhood.
The officers did not comply with the order, and three days later, his severely beaten dead body was found floating in Buffalo Bayou, near the 1200 block of Commerce St.,[3] in downtown Houston.
On October 7, 1977, Officers Denson and Orlando were convicted at the state level for Torres' death and found guilty of negligent homicide (a misdemeanor) by an all-white jury.
[4] The racial composition of the jury, and the minimized criminal convictions and sentencing sparked community outrage, leading to multiple protests[5] and the 1978 Moody Park Riot.
[6] His death led to negotiations between advocacy-based non-profits and HPD officials, which resulted in the addition of policies that addressed police-community racial relations.
Initially, it focused on his assault and drowning, but soon it turned its attention to the historic racism, lack of HPD over-watch and the recurring absence of state and federal investigations.
Later, a locally produced documentary appeared, entitled The Case of Joe Campos Torres, which focused on the history of police misconduct in Houston.
In the year following his death, a poetic song by vocalist and activist Gil Scott-Heron appeared, titled "Poem for José Campos Torres", reflecting the struggles surrounding racism and police brutality.
On Saturday April 2, 2022, the city of Houston unveiled the Joe Campos Torres Memorial Plaza and trail along Buffalo Bayou.
He wanted to open the school near his East End neighborhood, allowing him to teach young people the art of self-defense.
To pursue his dream, he realized that he needed a General Education Diploma (GED), a driver's license, and a job, preferably as a lineman with a telephone company.
During his military service, he was accepted to the United States Army Rangers, undergoing training at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
[11][15] Shortly before midnight on May 5, 1977, Torres was at the Club 21, a bar in Houston's predominantly Hispanic East End neighborhood, wearing his army fatigues and military boots.
[18] In 1978, Denson, Orlando and fired officer Joseph Janish were subsequently convicted of federal civil rights violations, and served nine months in prison.
[19] The riot broke out on the evening of Sunday, May 7, 1978, at approximately 7:30 pm, once a Cinco de Mayo fiesta event ended at the park.
[20] It was the greatest miscarriage of public trust by police officers in my 27 years of wearing a badge.Police arrived at the park in response to a call for an incident of disorderly conduct.
[20][27] Houston police officer Tommy A. Britt suffered a broken leg when hit by a car while trying to close off one of the streets involved in the riot.
Cato managed to bring out the video shot during the attack which shows some of the rioters surrounding a burning Houston Fire Department ambulance supervisor's car.
[40][41] The film notably utilized raw footage from local news station's archives, as a reminder to viewers that in a day before video cameras could bring police misconduct to light, the Torres family had to rely on community support to help them find justice.