The Clask Between the FBI and the Branch Davidian Cult - Research Paper Example

?Branch Davidians and the FBI Introduction Often considered to be a cult, the Branch Davidians were a small religious group led by David Koresh. In 1993, a clash between the group and the FBI turned violent and resulted in the deaths of several on each side and a prolonged siege. This concluded with an initiative from the FBI which involved gas grenades being thrown into the structure. At least 75 members of the cult died in the resulting fire. This essay considers the role which the FBI played in this confrontation, whether the results needed to occur the way they did, whether there was bias involved and who is to blame for the deaths. It is proposed that the FBI acted in a more violent manner than was needed and did not consider alternative options. As a consequence, the tragedy that occurred may have been avertable. History The Branch Davidians are a religious group that grew from the Seventh-day Adventist church. The cult was founded by Victor Houteff in 1930 following being exiled from the Seventh-day Adventists. Houteffin took the passage in revelation which reveals that 144,000 will be saved. The term Davidian came from Houteffin’s belief that he would establish a new kingdom in the manner to that of King David in the Old Testament, and that he himself was similar to David. This group existed as the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association until 1960. At this point in time Houteffin had been dead for five years and his wife had taken control of the association. She prophesied that the 22nd of April, 1959 was a day that was marked in revelation, which could possibly represent the return of Christ, the beginning of judgments on the world, and the beginning of the Davidic kingdom. The day passed without incident and this resulted in disillusionment by many of the followers, eventually resulting in the total collapse of the cult. Following the dissolution of the cult, Benjamin Roden built a faction claiming that the sign that was meant to occur on the April 22 was his arrival. He named this the Branch Davidians, and led the group until his death in 1978. Following this leadership passed to his wife, and then to their son, George, on her death. George considered himself to be divinely appointed, and eventually considered himself to be the messiah. Like Houteffin, Vernon Howell (also known as David Koresh) was originally from a Seventh-day Adventist Church. He entered the compound of the Branch Davidians in 1981, clashing consistently with Roden. The tension between the two eventually led to Koresh leaving the compound, and subsequently joined by other members of the group. The conflict did not cease, and in 1987 it culminated in a night raid by Koresh and seven followers of the Roden compound. Roden claimed that Koresh was attempting to murder him, yet despite this claim, Koresh and his men were not sentenced, while Roden was incarcerated for six months.This incarceration gave Koresh the chance to assume leadership of the compound. It was at this compound, in 1993 that a violent and bloody clash occurred between the Branch Davidians and the FBI. The Conflict On April 19, 1993 a confrontation took place between members of the Branch Davidian cult and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) at the Waco, Texas Branch Davidian compound. The aim of the raid was to look for evidence of child abuse by David Koresh, and to search for illegal weapons which were suspected to be on the premises. The raid resulted in violence and exchange of gunfire where six cult members and four agents were killed. This prompted a 51 day standoff between the cult members and the BATF, who were quickly replaced with the FBI. This stalemate was ended with a second raid, which resulted in the compound being burnt and at least 75 members of the cult were killed a third of which were children under the age of 15. Koresh was also killed in the fire .The outcome of the raid prompted many different responses, with some people blaming the FBI for the death of the cult members, while others considered that the Branch Davidians were responsible for their own fate . The Initial Raid Was the FBI correct in the manner in which they approached the situation at Waco? The initial purpose of the raid was a simple investigation, yet this resulted in a total of 86 deaths. Was the high amount of bloodshed a consequence of the strong anti-cult sediments that were and are present in the United States, or did they represent a necessary means of breaking a stalemate that had lasted for more than seven weeks? The raid on the compound did not occur spontaneously, rather there had been months of planning prior to the initial raid, as well as extensive planning before the second assault. One interesting fact is that there was extensive involvement of the military in planning, even though the intent of the original raid was simply to investigate. This level of military involvement is excessive given the situation in which the BATF expected to face. Furthermore, such levels of military involvement may have been both illegal and unconstitutional. The constitution contains provisions in the first and second amendments that prohibit the use of military against civilians . It is possible that the level of military involvement in the initial raid prompted the cult members to respond with violence, as it is likely that they felt threatened. Beyond this, current evidence shows that the information that was provided by the BATF in planning for the raid was misleading, giving them access to more military technology and weapons than they would have otherwise had for the raid. Although training and planning for the raid occurred for months prior to the events, there was little discussion as to whether there were other ways of approaching the problem . Furthermore, if the problem at hand was either Koresh himself or the arms which he was suspected of having, then there were more effective ways that this could have been managed. Koresh was often off the compound or moving around on his own and could have easily been questioned or apprehended at these times. Indeed, Koresh invited federal agents onto the property for them to see for themselves if there was any weaponry, this offer was refused. Planning for the raid involved informing local media of the intentions of the assault and the manner in which it was to be carried out. As a consequence, Koresh and his men were aware of the planned siege a little while before it occurred . The events that occurred and the planning that went into the initial raid suggest that it was motivated by factors other than ensuring justice. One likely candidate for this is the widespread negative image that cults hold throughout America. Anti-cult sediment is strong in the United States and in many ways this can be attributed to an ‘us’ versus ‘them’ mentality . Fiction often depicts cults of brainwashing their members, and attributes many abhorrent qualities to leaders of these cults . This may have been shared by people involved in planning the raid, or by those who authorized it. Throughout the Siege The FBI quickly took over the siege from the BATF. The situation that they entered was one that had a great deal of emotion and bias involved in it. Journalistic reporting of the siege was controlled and little consideration was given towards the religious opinions, rights or thoughts of the Branch Davidians. Instead, they were simply labeled as a cult, and reporting often consisted of the press printing what the law enforcement wanted them to say. Reporters had no access to communicate directly with any members of the Davidian group. This was despite the fact that the Davidians made repeated requests to be able to talk to the media. The decisions made during the siege were inherently biased, as the FBI consulted with anti-cultist individuals as advisors. As a consequence, all the actions which the FBI took throughout the siege, the planning and execution of the final assault did not benefit from neutral advisement. It is likely that the use of these advisors throughout the siege played a significant in the violence that was seen and the decisions that were made . For example, it is likely that advice from the anti-cultists played a role in the FBI refusing the Davidians access to journalists or ways of communicating with the outside world. The Final Assault The ultimate conclusion of the raid and siege of the Branch Davidian compound was the assault on April 19 1993. By this time both sides were tense and it was clear that a solution needed to be found. Significant progress was being made in demoralizing the Davidians and current analysis on the situation suggests that it would have soon ended peacefully. However, this did not occur due to a significant push to end the confrontation immediately, even if it meant the use of force. The drivers of this decision are varied, and appear in part to be due to misinformation. The FBI was misled concerning the manner in which the children within the compound were being treated. From the FBI’s perspective, if the children were being mistreated during the protracted siege, then this was reason to press towards an immediate ending. It is possible that those involved in the decision making process were not aware of the risks that were involved. No fire suppression equipment was kept at hand and there was the potential for the gas that was used to cause a fire. Reports indicate that many hostage negotiators did not agree with and condemned the decisions made by the FBI in terms of ensuring hostage safety. Many believe that more successful methods could have been implemented. Two negotiators suggested alternative decisions to that which were being made by the FBI, and were removed from the operation as a consequence . This provides strong evidence that the FBI were unwilling to listen to alternative views or to consider what the most practical solution may be. It is not known for certain whether the fire was caused as a consequence of the assault by the FBI through the combination of gas and firing, or whether it was intentionally lit from the inside . Aftermath Since the raid there have been two major court trials which have debated the legality of what occurred. The first was the criminal trial of the Branch Davidians, while the second trial in 2000 accused the federal government of causing the wrongful death of the individuals that were caught up in the fire . No fault was found with the decisions which were made throughout the time, and the federal government was cleared of any responsibility for the deaths of the Branch Davidians . The raid represents more than just a failed attempt to resolve a situation, but instead involves the violation of group’s religious rights, an extreme use of violence which was not needed and the alienation of the group that was being fought. Media reports, as discussed above, were one-sided and fed into an already present culture that intensely disliked the concept of cults. As a consequence, a large portion of American citizens believed that the Branch Davidians deserved their fate . Furthermore the government has not been held responsible for anything that occurred. The event was not a complete failure; in the eyes of many it would be considered a success, as it resulted in the removal of a threat. Nevertheless, what occurred was a tragedy and one that could have been averted. Conclusion The standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidians was more than simply a raid that ended badly. It was a series of decisions based in inherent assumption and bias, which resulted in those who were being persecuted being treated unfairly. While there is no clear evidence of the cause of the final fire that killed a large number of Branch Davidians, there is little doubt that had the earlier events went differently, then this tragedy would not have occurred. The FBI refused to let the Davidians talk to media, and appeared resistant to any forms of resolution that did not involve violence. The incident represents the invasion of force into a religious group, despite limited provocation. References Lawson, R. (1995). Seventh-day Adventist responses to Branch Davidian notoriety: Patterns of diversity within a sect reducing tension with society. Journal for the scientific study of religion, 323-341. Lewis, J. R. (1994). From the ashes: Making sense of Waco: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc, 3-5. Olson, P. J. (2006). The Public Perception of “Cults” and “New Religious Movements”. Journal for the scientific study of religion, 45(1), 97-106. Richardson, J. T. (2001). “Showtime” in Texas: Social Production of the Branch Davidian Trials. Nova Religio, 5(1), 152-170. Richardson, J. T. (2003). The Waco Tragedy: A Watershed for Religious Freedom and Human Rights? Waco: Ten Years After. Wright, S. A. (2001). Justice denied: The Waco civil trial. Nova Religio, 5(1), 143-151. Wright, S. A. (2003). A Decade After Waco: Reassessing Crisis Negotiations at Mount Carmel in Light of New Government Disclosures. Nova Religio, 7(2), 101-110.  Read More