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04/20/93
Waco embarrassed by image presented throughout world; `We're not all crazy,' resident says
By Diane Jennings and Nancy Kruh / The Dallas Morning News
WACO-For seven weeks, Waco hoped for an end to its image problem.
But the end, when it came, was a flaming horror that none had expected.
The worldwide link-age of Waco to the Branch Davidian cult barricaded outside the city limits was a public relations nightmare, many residents said. But the fiery death of the cult on live TV was not the way anyone here wanted the standoff to end.
"You want to hope it stops here,' said Donna Brown, secretary at St. Mary's Catholic School. "Among people wanting to move here, there's bound to be some who wonder, is it a safe place to live? They (the Waco Chamber of Commerce) are going to have to have a strong pitch to get over and around this.'
"We're not all nuts,' said Wilma Sosbe, a receptionist at the Heart of Texas Council of Governments. She said she was disappointed that her home had been associated with the cult leader for so long. "We're not all crazy. I think Waco is taking a very bad rap.'
At the Bill Daniel Student Center on the Baylor University campus, students straggled by the two televisions tuned to the news coverage.
"It was horrible,' said senior Trista Long, who was watching TV when the compound caught fire.
Though the confrontation is over, the effects on Waco's reputation will not vanish so quickly, she said.
"I remember an article in the London Times,' she said. "It said the cuisine ranged from hamburgers and cheese-burgers, and Wal-Mart was the place to buy clothes.
"I've really enjoyed Waco,' said the 21-year-old education major.
"I've hated to see Waco get a rap for this.'
Weidong Duan, a 30-year-old graduate student from China, was transfixed by the news coverage.
"I will never believe the FBI didn't know David Koresh would choose suicide,' said the geology student. "They knew what would happen today. If they'd taken more time and had more patience, we could have had a peaceful end to this.'
Lawyer John Hand, a Waco native, had counted a member of the Branch Davidians among his friends.
Mr. Hand said that fellow lawyer Wayne Martin "was as mild-mannered as he could be. Knowing him the way I did, I thought he'd protect the children.'
At a hastily convened news conference, Waco Mayor Bob Sheehy pointed out that the Branch Davidian compound was "well outside the city limits.'
When asked whether the city could rebound from the sometimes negative recent image, he answered sharply, "Yes. Just simply yes.'
Waco is a friendly, open-hearted town, Mr. Sheehy said. "Those things were here before-they're still here.'
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce postponed its annual membership banquet, one of its biggest events of the year.
"It's difficult to be relieved when you've got so much of a loss of life out there,' said chamber president Jack Stewart. "We've been hoping and praying for a peaceful solution.'
Leon Willhite, executive director of the Heart of Texas Council of Governments, said Waco's image as the buck-le of the Bible Belt will require some polishing in the wake of this peculiarly religious tragedy.
"It's something we'll have to rebound and work on.' he said.
But Joe Cavanaugh, director of the Dr Pepper Museum, suggested that
people might view Waco differently than they have in the past.
"If anything, it's put a focus on Waco as a city that's open to religious toleration,' he said, "which is an all-American viewpoint.'
For seven weeks, health-care worker Alan Smith said he heard people say how glad they would be when the stalemate ended.
"I've heard that over and over,' he said while watching news reports of the compound engulfed in flames. "But nobody wanted to see it end this way.'
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