Ruby and Waco

Background

To many Americans, a federal government takeover is a fantasy, just another form of entertainment. However, for a select group of people this was far from fiction. The historical standoff at Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas are still burned into the minds of countless people. The authorities' many shortcomings and irresponsibilities created a large distrust within the public. While most people are familiar with the failures of how the ATF and FBI handled the Ruby Ridge and Waco Texas incidents, few realize how the organizations improved and worked towards the successful position they are in today.

Ruby Ridge

For one man this was more than just a fantasy, Randall Weaver, was targeted by the government for selling two illegally sawed off shotguns to an undercover ATF collaborator. After watching the Weavers, US Marshals approached Harris Weaver, Sammy Weaver; Randy's 14-year-old son, and the family dog. Marshal William Degan fired at the dog, killing it, pushing Sammy to fire back at the marshal. After the shootout, Marshal William Degan and Sammy Weaver were both shot and killed. With the FBI joining on August 22nd, a bloody standoff ensued(Shootings at Ruby Ridge).

Later, after the initial shootings, Harris, Randy, and his daughter Sarah, left the cabin to try to prepare and bury Sammy’s body. FBI sniper, Lon Horiuchi, opened fire on the group, believing that Harris was armed and was planning on firing on a nearby helicopter. The group ran into the shed where Sammy's body was held. When they tried to escape and return into the cabin, Horuichi shot again, wounding Harris as he dove through the door and killing Vicki Weaver, who was holding the door open with one hand and her infant daughter with the other. The rest of the group surrendered nine days later.

The Branch Davidians and Waco, Texas

Randall Weaver isn't the only person to be the face of targeting. The Branch Davidians were organized in 1955 by Ben Roden after the death of the founder, Victor T, Houteff. The Davidians purchased land on Mount Carmel near Waco, Texas and Lois Roden would soon take leadership after Ben’s death. About a decade later, Vernon Howell came to the Davidian Compound. Vernon persuaded the Davidians to follow him and began to rival the current leader, Ben Roden(Lois’s son). After a large dispute over the property, Howell came out on top and earned the trust of the Davidians. In 1990, Howell changed his name to David Koresh for “publicity and business purposes.” Unlike the previous Davidian leaders, who were pacifists, Koresh started stockpiling weapons to protect the faithful. The Davidians were well-known to law enforcement, who unwittingly believed they were harmless(Monroe).

However, the ATF suspected that the Davidians were illegally converting semi-auto rifles into automatic rifles, so a group of undercover ATF agents, pretending to be college students, moved into a house near the Davidian compound; however, the Davidians quickly found them when they noticed rental cars. Wanting to curb suspicion, the agents threw a party, but their plan had backfired and made them stand out even more(Monroe). Officials reported that more Davidians showed up and talked, but later reported to Koresh that the neighbors were undercover federal agents. Another agent posed as a follower of the group, but Koresh saw through the ruse, calling him a fed and swiftly kicking him out. On February 28, 1993, a year after Ruby Ridge, an undercover agent overheard that Koresh knew about an imminent raid, the agent hurried to report the news, thinking they would cancel the mission, however, the raid went on as scheduled. As soon as the agents surrounded the compound, they were met with serious gunfire. A little while later, four agents and six Davidians were dead(Monroe).

The siege, lasting almost 51 days, became one of the most horrific conflicts. Both sides felt as if they were cornered, which was more true for the Davidians, with their scarce water supply. Surprisingly, the ATF agents surrounding them also felt desperate. The ATF, hoping to prove their competence, only devolved into an embarrassing show of defeat. Bob Ricks, the FBI special agent involved in the operation, explains his point of view: “The hostages were not those Davidians in there, The hostage in this whole process was the F.B.I. We had to respond to the demands of David Koresh. We were like actors in his play . . . In the final analysis, everything rested under the control of David Koresh.”(Monroe) The authorities felt that they weren’t in control of the situation, instead Koresh was manipulating them. He was a puppet master and the authorities were the puppets, in a way.

As the battle ensued, a conflict became apparent between the FBI's negotiators and the Hostage Rescue Team. The Rescue units favored solving the problem as fast as possible, through sneaky tactical force. However the negotiators, who were responsible for investigating the deaths of federal agents, thought that they could coax Koresh into surrendering. The Rescue Team had quite the opposite view: They thought that Koresh was a rat who would never emerge on his own. These two allied forces were almost against each other(Monroe). Later, Koresh told the FBI that he is going to finish writing his treatise on the Book of Revelation, then surrender peacefully. The Davidians had been communicating via bedsheets placed out of windows. They then showed one saying “Let’s Have a Beer When This Is Over.” The Davidians believed that they were going to end the fight peacefully…However, the Tactical Team decided to end the situation once and for all. On the morning of April 19th, agents rushed the Mount Carmel compound with tanks and pumped tear gas into the building. Someone later reported seeing flames. The FBI 100% expected the residents to rush out of the building, but only nine did. The rest of the Davidians were inside, about 70 were crushed when the building collapsed. This foolish approach killed innocent lives and allowed for Koresh to become a martyr(Monroe).

It’s clear that authorities deeply mishandled both sieges beyond recognition. The authorities at Waco miscommunicated and were irresponsible with their positions. While authorities at Ruby Ridge should have taken a more pacifist and peaceful way, avoiding loss of life as much as possible. Their botched attempts caused horrible ramifications, taking many innocent lives, and leaving people with a “bad taste in their mouth.” However, today, the authorities are a shell of what they used to be. The FBI and ATF have continued to improve in teamwork, and not just situations like Waco and Ruby, but in all sorts of fields.

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