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