What About Us - Waco Siege
I vaguely remember when this event took place and seeing it on the news. At the time I was too young to understand its full meaning and impact. However as I grew older I had growing questions. Not about who fired the first shot or who set the compound on fire, but what happened to the surviving children. There was little information from the media about where the children went and what kind of psychological aid they received.
The art that I created is called “What About Us”. On the first page there are images of what people generally think and remember about the Waco siege, the ATF storming in, the casualties on both sides, the long and unfruitful negotiations, the “evil cult leader” David Koresh, and the fire that ended everything. The second page, underneath the face of the Waco siege, there is a collage of worried and scared children that represent the children that were removed from the compound and waited for their parents to come out as well. I could only imagine the uncertainty, fear, and anxiety that the children felt as they waited those initial six weeks. While Brice Perry worked with those children during that time, I was saddened that further and deeper psychological aid was not offered to these young survivors. However, reading how Joann Vaega did seek out further help but was only discouraged and given the incorrect prediction of becoming a damaged and violent adult, it seems that the psychological field did not yet know how to administer therapy to such young victims and observers of violence of that nature. While Joann Vaega and the other children survivors defied those odds, it appears that it was due to their own resiliency, rather than outside therapeutic help.
