| 1 | 1 | | 89R1797 CW-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Morales of Harris H.R. No. 9 |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, May 5, 2025, marks the 48th anniversary of the |
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| 9 | 9 | | tragic death of Joe Campos Torres, a 23-year-old military veteran |
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| 10 | 10 | | who was brutally killed by Houston police officers; and |
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| 11 | 11 | | WHEREAS, The son of Joe Luna Torres and Margaret Campos |
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| 12 | 12 | | Torres, Joe Torres was born in Houston on December 20, 1953; |
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| 13 | 13 | | answering his nation's call to duty, he joined the U.S. Army in 1974 |
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| 14 | 14 | | and served in the Vietnam War; upon the completion of his military |
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| 15 | 15 | | tenure in 1976, he returned home and began working for the Houston |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sash & Door Company; and |
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| 17 | 17 | | WHEREAS, On the fateful day of May 5, 1977, Mr. Torres was |
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| 18 | 18 | | arrested after an altercation at a local bar; rather than taking him |
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| 19 | 19 | | to the city jail, police officers transported Mr. Torres to a |
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| 20 | 20 | | secret location along Buffalo Bayou where he was severely beaten; |
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| 21 | 21 | | ultimately, he was pushed into the bayou, where he drowned; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | WHEREAS, The murder of Mr. Torres galvanized the Mexican |
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| 23 | 23 | | American community, igniting a lengthy period of protest marked by |
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| 24 | 24 | | marches and rallies throughout the city; activists came together to |
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| 25 | 25 | | form multiracial and multigenerational civil rights coalitions, |
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| 26 | 26 | | and such entities as Barrios Unidos en Defensa, the League of United |
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| 27 | 27 | | Latin American Citizens, the American G.I. Forum, and the Mexican |
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| 28 | 28 | | American Legal Defense and Educational Fund lent their support to |
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| 29 | 29 | | the cause; and |
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| 30 | 30 | | WHEREAS, In June 2021, the Houston Police Department issued a |
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| 31 | 31 | | formal apology to the Torres family and promised that a monument |
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| 32 | 32 | | would be erected in Mr. Torres's honor; on April 2, 2022, the City |
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| 33 | 33 | | of Houston held a dedication ceremony for the Joe Campos Torres |
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| 34 | 34 | | Plaza in downtown Houston; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | WHEREAS, Although nearly five decades have passed since the |
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| 36 | 36 | | senseless death of Joe Torres, this heartbreaking tragedy continues |
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| 37 | 37 | | to resonate throughout the community of Houston and beyond, and |
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| 38 | 38 | | civil rights advocates and Mr. Torres's family remain committed to |
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| 39 | 39 | | the fight against racial discrimination and injustice; now, |
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| 40 | 40 | | therefore, be it |
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| 41 | 41 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 42 | 42 | | Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and service of Joe Campos |
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| 43 | 43 | | Torres on the 48th anniversary of his death. |
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