Waco siege
The Waco siege refers to the standoff between the Branch Davidians, a religious sect led by David Koresh, and federal law enforcement agencies in Waco, Texas, that occurred from February 28 to April 19, 1993. The conflict began when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) attempted to raid the compound to serve warrants related to child abuse and weapons violations. A violent confrontation ensued, resulting in the deaths of four federal agents and injuries to others. Following this, the FBI took over negotiations, leading to a prolonged standoff that ended with a fire that consumed the compound, killing 76 individuals, including children.
In the aftermath, congressional hearings examined the events, revealing complexities around the actions of both the Davidians and federal agents. Testimonies indicated that while the Davidians were involved in illegal activities, the federal response was criticized for its handling of the situation, raising questions about the appropriateness of their methods. The siege also had broader implications, contributing to discussions on civil rights and law enforcement tactics during the 1990s. Additionally, the siege is often associated with domestic terrorism, notably influencing Timothy McVeigh's motivations for the Oklahoma City bombing two years later, which he framed as a response to government actions at Waco.
Waco siege
The Event Federal agents attempt to raid the Branch Davidian compound, and a fifty-one-day standoff ensues
Date February 28-April 19, 1993
Place Waco, Texas
The siege ended when the compound burned to the ground, resulting in seventy-six deaths. Subsequent congressional hearings were held questioning the motives, responsibility, and accountability of the federal agencies involved. The incident, along with events that occurred at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, was also intricately linked with the Oklahoma City bombing perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh on April 19, 1995.
The Branch Davidians were a religious sect led by David Koresh that resided at a large compound in Waco, Texas. Koresh believed that he was the final disciple of Jesus Christ and was sent to Earth to spread the religious teachings of God. He also believed that it was his responsibility to prepare a group of armed individuals who represented a good and pure segment of society to do battle with an armed apostate. In order to accomplish this objective, Koresh and his followers stockpiled weapons that would be used in this “epic battle” between good and evil; there was also evidence that the Davidians had stockpiled weapons because they were involved in the sale of firearms as a method of keeping the compound operational. Koresh also believed that it was his responsibility to create this army of religious soldiers. Koresh taught his followers that he would need to have multiple sexual partners and bear multiple children with the women in the compound while the other men in the compound remained celibate.
The Siege
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) had long been investigating Koresh and the activities that were occurring at the Davidian compound. On February 28, 1993, the ATF attempted to implement a surprise raid of the compound to serve arrest and search warrants for various offenses, including child abuse, statutory rape, and weapons charges. However, the Davidians were tipped off that a raid was coming and refused to allow ATF agents to enter the compound. A shoot-out ensued that resulted in the deaths of four federal agents and sixteen injuries.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) subsequently took over the investigation and negotiations at the compound. A fifty-one-day standoff between the Davidians and the federal government eventually ended when the compound burned to the ground on April 19, killing seventy-six Davidians, twenty-one of whom were children. The fire was started shortly after the federal government began pumping tear gas into the compound in an attempt to end the standoff.
The Aftermath
In July of 1995, the U.S. House of Representatives held congressional hearings on the events at Waco to determine what started and escalated the standoff. Testimony and evidence were presented suggesting that both the Davidians and federal agents shared responsibility for the eventual outcome. Evidence was presented suggesting that the Davidians were stockpiling weapons and that Koresh was having sexual relations with underage female occupants of the compound. Psychologist Bruce Duncan Perry studied twenty-one children who were released from the compound during the standoff and testified that the children had also been subjected to harsh corporal punishment and emotional abuse.
However, evidence also emerged that implied that the federal government was, at worst, complicit in the events that started and escalated the standoff. At best, federal agents grossly mishandled the initial raid and the ensuing negotiations. Testimonial evidence was entered that the ATF was motivated to conduct the raid as a way of attaining positive press coverage of the agency after the Ruby Ridge debacle in 1992. In addition, testimony suggested that the ATF was informed by embedded undercover agents within the compound that the Davidians had been tipped off about the raid, thus eliminating the element of surprise, but ordered the raid to proceed regardless. Testimonial and video evidence also suggested that the FBI unnecessarily engaged in behavior that served to agitate an already volatile situation and group of people in the compound, had been firing artillery into the compound despite official statements that this was not happening, and ignored expert psychological profiles and expert recommendations on how to best handle the situation. Allegations also surfaced suggesting that the FBI had been (either intentionally or negligently) responsible for starting the fire.
Waco and the Oklahoma City Bombing
On April 19, 1995, exactly two years after the Davidian compound burned to the ground, Timothy McVeigh, a decorated Army veteran who served in the Gulf War, detonated a car bomb at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The explosion killed 168 people and injured hundreds of others in and around the building. The attack has remained the most deadly domestic terrorist attack perpetrated against Americans on American soil.
McVeigh repeatedly claimed the bombing to be retaliation against the government for what he viewed as complicit actions by the ATF and FBI during the Ruby Ridge and Waco standoffs. Evidence of this motivation eventually surfaced when it was revealed that McVeigh had shown up in Waco during the standoff and made comments that were critical of the government’s actions.
Impact
The siege at Waco was a part of a domino effect that raised poignant questions about the behavior of federal law-enforcement agencies during the 1990’s. The decade was a time when the use of military tactics and techniques in domestic law enforcement was increasing exponentially. American society was faced with questions about how to balance the civil rights and liberties of fringe social groups against the right of law-enforcement agencies to proactively protect society from perceived threats. The events at Ruby Ridge and Waco also created an impetus for the federal government to revisit its policy directives on how to best handle fringe social groups who operated under standards of belief that differed from mainstream society.
Bibliography
Kraska, P. B., and V. E. Kappeler. “Militarizing American Police: The Rise and Normalization of Paramilitary Units.” Social Problems 44, no. 1 (February, 1997): 1-18. Traces the development of police paramilitary units (PPUs) and provides data from a survey of police departments about the use of PPUs.
Reavis, Dick J. The Ashes of Waco: An Investigation. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1998. An investigative journalist recounts the events at Waco, arguing that the federal government had little reason to raid the compound, misled the public about the threat the Davidians presented and about events that transpired during the standoff, and was negligent in the fire that ultimately killed many members of the group.
Thibodeau, David, and Leon Whiteson. A Place Called Waco: A Survivor’s Story. New York: PublicAffairs, 1999. Thibodeau, one of the few Branch Davidian survivors of the attack, offers a first-person account of the siege.