The year 2023 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Branch Davidian-federal agent conflict at Mount Carmel Center in Texas. In 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) raided the Branch Davidians’ residence in an attempt to serve warrants, but it resulted in a shootout. Afterward, the FBI oversaw a 51-day siege of the residence that culminated in a fire on April 19 in which 76 Branch Davidians of all ages died. Since then, numerous books and documentaries have come out about these events. Scholars now know much more about what happened, but the event has also become increasingly politicized. This Field Note recounts a press conference and memorial service that were held on 19 April 2023 at the Taylor Museum of Waco History in Waco, Texas, at which both scholars and survivors spoke.
University of California Press