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We are driving home from a cross country trip and passing through New Mexico when a semi truck attempted to run us off the road twice. We called 911 4 times over 45 min until they finally responded. The driver had pulled off to the side and threatened us with a metal pipe.
After having been almost run off the road by his aggressive behavior, we called the police because if we weren’t going to be harmed then someone else definitely would have so we followed at a safe distance to be sure that police responded.
It was only because we happened to be on the phone with the dispatcher when he approached us with a metal pipe and beckoned for us to get closer that police began taking it seriously.
We pulled over to give the police a statement and Shayan got out of the car while he explained the situation. @ShayanUsuli
Rather than affirming that we had done the right thing, one of the officers said that we were the aggressors in this situation.
They only stopped victim blaming and questioning us when Shayan said we are attorneys and they turned around and walked away.
The question is why would a truck driver feel bold enough to risk his job and safety by acting recklessly violent on the road? Could it be bc other cops have shown that when pressed for accountability they side with violent actions rather than advocating for victims
When asking to file charges, we were firmly told to leave in a tone that made me believe that if we did not comply with the command that he would resort to aggression. We complied only out of fear for our safety as we did not feel that we were being advocated for.
There is no way for us to know if the police did their job. In an age of rampant Islamophobia, I don’t feel safe calling police but did so despite my discomfort because the true safety of others on the road called for it. @NMStatePolice
