In the late 1970s, many facets of Houston were on the rise. Economically the city was booming, the population had continued its steady upward trend, and the skyline was beginning to reach for the Gulf Coast sky. Unfortunately, crime rates were also rising, and animosity between Hispanic citizens and the police department was boiling over, evidenced by the disastrous Moody Park Riots earlier that year, some of the most violent in Houston’s recent history.
In response, the Houston Police Department (HPD), formed a unit that, the thinking went, could better connect with the community and quell the pervasive angst. Such is the origin story of a small team of young, Latino, bilingual officers with no prior homicide experience, a collection of men who would eventually be known as the Chicano Squad, the first all-Hispanic homicide unit at HPD.
At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 8 in the Commerce Street Building, Gators will get the chance to hear from two of the unit’s first members, U.P. Hernandez and Jose Selvera, Jr., as they share their perspectives an experiences from serving in what would become a celebrated homicide unit. The event, “The Badge and Beyond: A Live Conversation with HPD's Chicano Squad,” is part of the long-running vitalvoices series hosted by the Center for Public Service & Community Research and its Director, Steven Villano.
Two distinguished academics will be on hand as well, as Dr. Jesus Jesse Esparza, Associate Professor of History at Texas Southern University and Dr. Natalie Garza, Professor of History at Houston Community College, will moderate the discussion and provide their perspective as researchers. More than just a panel discussion, this event is a chance to hear history speak, and learn how HPD became a leader in criminal justice through community policing.