Branch David Koresh The Standoff In Waco

The 1993 tragedy that occurred in Waco, Texas is a testament to the tension that exists between radical religious believers and the federal government. David Koresh of the Branch Davidians believed in the fulfillment of the Seven Seals as described in the Holy Bible as the sign of the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus Christ. Branch Davidians chose to live simple lives different from the norm by selling all possessions and contributing all profits to the compound, living with fellow Davidians at Mount Carmel, and separating from current companions to practice celibacy. The instinctual phenomenon of treating people who are different or have different beliefs than the majority negatively causes much unnecessary hostility, and in

In typical situations, local law enforcement would serve a search warrant and seize any illegal weapons found, and the owner of these weapons would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Unfortunately, Waco was not a typical situation. First, local residents near the compound heard automatic guns being fired and then reported it to the ATF. In the previous year, the ATF was heavily scrutinized after wrongdoings in the Ruby Ridge incident and because of this, the Waco ATF wanted to display that they still had power. The confident attitude of the ATF was obviously seen when they conducted a raid on the Mount Carmel compound. However, Robert Rodriguez, an ATF undercover agent, explains in a Waco documentary how “they kn[ew] we’re coming.” He continues explaining how after telling the raid commander about the loss of element of surprise, the commander still issued the raid on the compound. Rodriguez says, “ instead of coming up and admitting to the American people right after the raid that they had made a mistake, that the element of surprise had been lost, that the agent had advised them that they knew they were coming… they lied to the public and in so doing, they just about destroyed a very great agency” (Waco). The ATF did not issue a proper search warrant and instead conducted a raid that killed five Branch

David Koresh manipulated his followers into believing that he was the appointed Messiah living amongst them to fulfil the predicted prophecy. Lawrence J. Rifkind says that “[t]o keep control over his followers, David Koresh searched for their Achilles heel. He manipulated situations so that everyone was forced to rely on him and him alone” (Rifkind 68). “The lamb of God” manipulated his followers in adhering to strange rules that all members were expected to follow except Koresh (Rifkind 68). David Koresh required all married couples to divorce and to live separately within the compound, while Koresh married several women and girls as young as twelve years of age. Koresh also required all members to practice celibacy with the single exception of him. The government had knowledge of Koresh’s manipulative behavior within the compound and his uneasy mental state; yet, they chose to take notes from Koresh and also too involve themselves in manipulative tactics. The ATF and FBI used psychological warfare by playing the sound of animals being slaughtered and Nancy Sinatra during sleeping hours on constant loop, in the hopes that David Koresh would surrender (Waco). The government’s attempts to manipulate Koresh out of the compound failed and instead built more anger and resistance amongst the Davidians. The