Can Manipulation be Governed?

I saw a road rage incident yesterday. An angry man driving a black SUV argued with a bicyclist whizzing around him. The SUV was bobbing and weaving through traffic on a busy Chicago street. The bicyclist could've easily gotten killed. I watched in horror, screaming "NO!" Another car got involved, a little brown sedan. The man in the sedan was now driving side by side with the SUV. They shouted at each other as they waived their free arm out the window. All during rush hour traffic, the constant commuting for the long Memorial Holiday weekend was about to begin. I didn't have my phone. As the crowd gathered around, I asked 'can anyone call 911?' A woman with her family, her mother, and a child in a wheelchair, shouted, "don't get involved!"

I responded, "WHY?!" Sirens started to blare. The SUV dodged and weaved; he got in front of the little brown sedan and slammed on his breaks. The little car couldn't do much damage to his massive vehicle. The sedan crashed into the SUV. The men jumped out of the car and chased each other. As I watched, I thought, 'if one of those guys has a gun, today could be my last day." The SUV driver threw his body on the ground and rolled. He accused the other man of having a knife. The other man did not have a knife.

When the police arrived, the sedan took off. The SUV driver was waving his arms with great drama telling the story of how he was victimized. As more officers walked toward him, I said, "I saw the whole thing. What he's saying is not true.' An officer stopped to listen, revealing I was being recorded. I agreed.

On paper, the SUV driver was a victim. He was clearly hit by another car. If the sedan driver had stayed, would he have gotten a ticket? 

How can we govern for manipulation? How do we hold people accountable when their story seems plausible? When the documented facts indicate a clear path even though the situation is not so clear? What if the bicyclist was severely injured? Or died? I saw what I saw but could I be wrong? Sure I could. I don't think so, but it's possible. Faced with recorded facts and a constant barrage of alternative opinions and arguments, could my story be changed? Possibly. How can we influence the SUV driver not to do what he did?  #bycicling #law #Chicago 

---