Murder of Joe Campos Torres

Art Browning hosted a television interview with Torres' little sister Janie Torres. The episode, produced by Green Watch Television (GWTV), is titled: "Joe Campos Torres, 40 years ago", first aired: Wednesday, April 26, 2017, duration: 24 min. When Browning asked about her thoughts on the establishment of Black Lives Matter she replied:

At the closing of the interview, Janie Torres, who was only a 10-year-old when her brother's life was taken, announced plans for an annual solidarity walk in memory of her brother. The walk is targeted across all generations with the focus on awareness of police racism across the nation. The second annual walk and rally occurred on May 6, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Janie plans on continuing to hold the walks annually, to be held on the yearly anniversaries of her brother's murder. For social awareness she has posted the walk on a Facebook homepage; "Joe Campos Torres Solidarity Walk For Past & Future Generations".

In 2014 Nuño Records published, via SoundCloud, the song "Moody Park Riot (José Campos Torres)" written by Juan Nuño performed by Jesse James at Houston, TX. The lyrics depict Torres' beating and drowning along with events tied to the 1978 Moody Park Riot.

Filmed around Houston, the documentary records the Latino communities reaction to what they witnessed as an act of racial injustice against their population. The documentary, approximately 30 – 40 minutes in length, replays raw footage taken from local news station's archives. The footage is used as a reminder to viewers that before video cameras were able to bring police misconduct to light, the family of Torres had to rely on community support to help them find justice.

In March 2006, Charanga Cakewalk released the album Chicano Zen. The album has multiple instrumental songs, track 11 the closing song is the instrumental titled: "El Ballad de José Campos Torres", with a synth, accordion and piano drift inspired by the life of Torres:

Terry W. Denson and Steven Orlando two of the arresting officers were charged with murder following the discovery of Torres' body. Three other officers were fired from the HPD by Police Chief B.G. Bond, but no criminal charges were brought against the fired officers. A rookie officer who was present at the scenes of Torres' torture and drowning was a key witness for the prosecution. Denson and Orlando were convicted for Torres' death and found guilty of negligent homicide (a misdemeanor), sentenced to one year of probation and a one dollar fine. The all white jury, minimized criminal convictions, and sentencing sparked community outrage leading to multiple protests and the 1978 Moody Park Riot. The investigation of Torres' murder proved controversial. Following the State of Texas convictions of the two former officers, the Torres case was reviewed at the federal level by the U.S. Department of Justice. Which led to three of the officer's federal convictions, for violating Torres' civil rights.

Officers Terry W. Denson and Steven Orlando were tried on state murder charges. They were convicted of negligent homicide and received one year of probation and a $1 fine. Denson, Orlando and fired officer Joseph Janish were later convicted of federal civil rights violations in 1978, and served nine months in prison.

On the one year anniversary of José Campos Torres' murder a riot was started at Moody Park located in Houston's Near Northside neighborhood. The riot broke out on the evening of Saturday, May 7, 1978 at approximately 7:30 pm, once a Cinco de Mayo fiesta event ended at the park. Between five and six thousand people attended the celebration.

Scott-Heron's artistry based on self-fortitude and resentment of racism spanned across racial cultures and was popular among both African-Americans and Latinos. In 1978, the year following Torres' murder, he targeted community awareness of the murder and created a poetic song focusing on America's systemic abuse of Asian-Americans, African-Americans and Hispanics in the heartfelt "Poem for José Campos Torres." The song was released as track 4 of the album titled; The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron.

After Torres' arrest at the bar, the officers took him to the city jail for booking. But, he was struck so brutally that authorities refused to book him into the jail. Instead, the police officers were ordered, by a supervisor, to take Torres to a local hospital for immediate medical treatment. The officers did not comply with the supervisor's order. 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.

The film was produced in 1977 by Tony Bruni and Houston's KPRC-TV, Channel 2. Carlos Calbillo both wrote and edited the film and it was reported by John Quiñones, who is now with ABC News and hosts the series What Would You Do?.

Torres' father, José Luna Torres Jr., 46, said his son spent two years in the United States Army (U.S. Army). During his military service, he was accepted and undergoing Army Ranger training at Fort Bragg North Carolina. While in ranger training, he was separated from the service in September 1976, under a 'general discharge.' It is reported his abuse of alcohol and anger outbursts are what ultimately led to his early release from the U.S. Army. His brother Gilbert said, "Before the service, Joe was bum and a drifter, but after he got out he really cut down on the drinking ... The normal Joe was different from the drunk Joe." He said, "The drunk Joe got rowdy easy and he [take] things the wrong way sometimes."

Vocalist and activist Gil Scott-Heron, known as the "Godfather of Rap" and for his sociology charged spoken word performances in the '70s. Scott-Heron's best-known recording is the 1971 released "The Revolution Will Not be Televised", this artwork characterizes unashamed consumerism.

José Campos Torres (December 20, 1953 – May 5, 1977) was a 23-year-old Mexican-American and Vietnam veteran who was ruthlessly beaten by several Houston Police Department (HPD) officers that subsequently led to his death. He was assaulted by a group of on-duty police officers after being arrested for disorderly conduct at a bar in Houston's Mexican-American East End neighborhood. The officers convicted for the death of Torres, at the state level, received minimal sentencing; 1 year probation and a $1 fine. Torres' murder and sentencing sparked community outrage and lead to multiple community protests, with one gathering escalating to a riot. His death lead to advocacy based non-profits and HPD official's negotiations leading to the addition of policies addressing police-community racial relations.

Author Dwight Watson dedicated the chapter "The Storm Clouds of Change: The Death of José Campos Torres and the Emergence of Triracial Politics in Houston" in the book Race and the Houston Police Department, 1930–1990 A Change Did Come. The chapter covers the impact of Torres' murder on society and changes in Houston's policing policies.