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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, May 5, 2025, marks the 48th anniversary of the |
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tragic death of Joe Campos Torres, a 23-year-old military veteran |
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who was brutally killed by Houston police officers; and |
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WHEREAS, The son of Joe Luna Torres and Margaret Campos |
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Torres, Joe Torres was born in Houston on December 20, 1953; |
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answering his nation's call to duty, he joined the U.S. Army in 1974 |
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and served in the Vietnam War; upon the completion of his military |
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tenure in 1976, he returned home and began working for the Houston |
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Sash & Door Company; and |
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WHEREAS, On the fateful day of May 5, 1977, Mr. Torres was |
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arrested after an altercation at a local bar; rather than taking him |
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to the city jail, police officers transported Mr. Torres to a |
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secret location along Buffalo Bayou where he was severely beaten; |
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ultimately, he was pushed into the bayou, where he drowned; and |
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WHEREAS, The murder of Mr. Torres galvanized the Mexican |
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American community, igniting a lengthy period of protest marked by |
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marches and rallies throughout the city; activists came together to |
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form multiracial and multigenerational civil rights coalitions, |
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and such entities as Barrios Unidos en Defensa, the League of United |
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Latin American Citizens, the American G.I. Forum, and the Mexican |
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American Legal Defense and Educational Fund lent their support to |
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the cause; and |
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WHEREAS, In June 2021, the Houston Police Department issued a |
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formal apology to the Torres family and promised that a monument |
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would be erected in Mr. Torres's honor; on April 2, 2022, the City |
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of Houston held a dedication ceremony for the Joe Campos Torres |
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Plaza in downtown Houston; and |
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WHEREAS, Although nearly five decades have passed since the |
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senseless death of Joe Torres, this heartbreaking tragedy continues |
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to resonate throughout the community of Houston and beyond, and |
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civil rights advocates and Mr. Torres's family remain committed to |
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the fight against racial discrimination and injustice; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and service of Joe Campos |
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Torres on the 48th anniversary of his death. |