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The events that unfolded between the Branch Davidians and the
ATF were in a
word, tragic. Although great amounts of preparation, planning
and skill were utilized by
the ATF in correlation with former Attorney General Janet Reno,
the results of the
standoff between David Koresh, his followers and the ATF were
unnecessarily
catastrophic. I personally agree with Marc Galanters (a
professor of psychiatry at NYUs
School of Medicine) statement, ''When these groups are
confronted by law enforcement
they should be handled gingerly, [],you should establish
communication rather thanconfront them head on (Lacayo, 1993).
In our text Alberts describes compliance gaining strategies as
methods used for
altering behavior. This is exactly how David Koresh manipulated
the Branch Davidians
and maintained his control over them. First, he influenced them
with promise; according
to Bruce Gent, father of ex-cult member Peter Gent, You begin to
live for a pat on the
head, (Alberts, 2009; Lacayo, 1993). Koresh was so revered by
his followers they were
even prepared to die for him. He influenced them with what
Kellerman and Marwell call
Positive Expertise, or assuring someone that they will be
rewarded if they comply.
Koresh had his followers convinced that he was, in fact, the
messiah and that if they
martyred themselves for his sake they wouldsurely have a seat in
heaven (Lacayo, 1993).
Some people would question the mental strength of
cult-followers. It is easy to
understand, however, from the correct perspective. I know that
being Messianic Jewish is
a strong factor in how I live my life, where my allegiances lie,
and how I treat other
people. The Branch Davidians, although part of a more radical
religious sect, are
fundamentally no different than anyone who follows the dogma of
a particular religion.
It is safe to say that the Branch Davidians conformed, complied
and
obeyed the will of Koresh. In our text Alberts describes
conformity as, changing
behavior in order to match the actions of others or adhere to
social norms. Instead of
believing Jesus Christ to be the biblical messiah as other
Seventh Day Adventists do, the
Branch Davidians conformed to the new idea that David Koresh was
the messiah. They
followed his direction, held him as their top authority and let
him control every aspect of
their lives. Because of the authority the Branch Davidians
believed Koresh to have they
complied with his instructions on how to live life in the
compound with him. The men
allowed Koresh to father children with their wives and engaged
in polygamy. Followers
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ate the way Koresh said to, prayed the way Koresh said to and
even were prepared to
martyr their selves because Koresh said to (Gibbs, Lacayo;
1993). They even obeyed
Koreshs commands to use their stockpiled weapons on the
unbelievers (ATF) during
the siege.
During negotiations many tactics were used to try to prompt
Koresh and the
Branch Davidians to surrender. The ATF tried to gain compliance
by first being
respectful to Koresh. This is an example of altruism. The ATF
tried to get Koresh to let
some followers leave out of his own kindness. This was
successful to a point; Koresh let
thirty-seven people leave the compound (Gibbs, 1993). Prior to
the siege on part of the
ATF they tried pre-giving tactics (Kellerman, 1994; Marwell,
1967). They negotiated
that Koresh could send out a message over public radio if he
would surrender. After the
ATF completed their part of the deal, Koresh did not follow
through and the ATF decided
that the best course of action, after patiently waiting and
negotiating for days afterward,
was to assault the compound (Lacayo, 1993).
How does a situation end like this? One might ask how a team of
highly
trained professionals with decades of combined crisis
intervention and hostage
negotiation training mess up so badly. My answer is impatience.
I fully understand the
complexities of this altercation, and have come to one
conclusion. Expecting someone as
mentally unstable as Koresh to be reasonable is both stupid and
naive. Instead of using so
much manpower on a siege that ended in the deaths of innocent
people, perhaps an
infiltration on a larger scale could have been utilized. Clearly
Koresh responded to
altruism. Perhaps he would have been more compliant had a group
of undercover agents
larger than true followers found a way to seclude and apprehend
Koresh. They certainly
had the firepower to do so.
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