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Scholars of the Waco tragedy and the Critical Incident Analysis Group, which is a group of scholars based at the University of Virginia, argue that it is a prime example of a “critical incident.” A critical incident is defined as an act that erodes the public trust in the government and effectively polarizes the population into factions that either oppose or support the state on a particular issue. As evidence, Jayne Docherty pointed to a 1999 <i>Time</i> magazine poll that stated sixty-one percent of those polled believe that government was responsible for the Waco tragedy. <ref> Docherty, Jayne Seminare. “Why Waco Has Not Gone Away: Critical Incidents and Cultural Trauma” <i>Novo Religio: the Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions.</i> 5 (2001) pgs. 187-189</ref> Beyond the deep seated damage the Waco tragedy had on the American psyche, it also influenced a number of more immediate events.
Eleven Branch Davidians who left the compound during the siege were charged with a plethora of felonies in federal court , ranging from weapons charges to murder. The trial began in early 1994 and although the media led many to believe that the defendants would be convicted on all counts, they were all acquitted of murder. “There was no way we could find them guilty of murder. We felt provocation was pretty evident,” said one anonymous juror. <ref> Reavis, p. 278</ref> Three were cleared of all charges and seven were found guilty of manslaughter, with five also being convicted of additional weapons charges. In June 1994, Judge Walter Smith exceeded the recommended sentencing guidelines and gave five of the defendants forty years in prison. Judge Smith’s sentencing was later overturned by the United States Supreme Court in 2000 when it ruled that he overstepped his authority during sentencing. <ref> Docherty, p. 191</ref> All of the surviving Davidians are now free.
There were also two congressional hearings on the siege and standoff, which were summarized in a report by Senator John Danforth. Although the report largely absolved the government of responsibility,<ref> Docherty, p. 192</ref> a joint congressional report by the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight and the Committee on the Judiciary concluded that the April 19 assault was “premature.” <ref> Wright, p. 103</ref>
Finally, the anger, fear, and confusion that many Americans felt after the Waco tragedy was channeled by the far-right militia movement to increase their numbers in the weeks, months, and years following the event. Although most militia members were not inclined to violence, some were willing to avenge the Branch Davidians any way possible. While the siege was taking place, a young army veteran named Timothy McVeigh was posted behind the police line at Mount Carmel giving out bumper stickers that read, “Is Your Church ATF-Approved?” <ref> Kirksetter, p. 470</ref> McVeigh would later go on to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma two years to the day after the Waco siege ended. The FBI and ATF would later change many of their protocols, which has at least been anecdotally successful as their has been no incident of a similar scale since the Waco tragedy. With that said, as Docherty wrote, the tragic events at Waco in 1993 created a massive distrust in the government and a polarization of the population that is obviously apparent today, which is probably the Waco tragedy’s most enduring legacy.
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