#NoTrucksToColorado: Kim Kardashian, netizens call for justice for a young trucker
In this file photo taken on Nov. 6, 2019, media personality Kim Kardashian West attends the WSJ Magazine 2019 Innovator Awards at MOMA in New York City. Image: Angela Weiss/AFP
The internet avengers have struck again. Kim Kardashian West and over 4.5 million people are calling for justice for Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos. This young truck driver was sentenced to 110 years in prison for an accident that killed four people when his brakes failed. Since then, the hashtag #NoTrucksToColorado has gained momentum on social media.
Fellow truckers and other internet users have rallied around the #NoTrucksToColorado hashtag in response to the case of Rogel Lazaro Aguilera-Mederos. The trucker, who was 23 years old at the time of the incident, was sentenced to 110 years in prison in the state of Colorado after causing the death of four people in a traffic accident that occurred April 25, 2019. The driver reported that his brakes failed while he was on a downhill stretch of highway. His wild ride ended at more than 130 miles per hour when he collided with cars that were stopped due to an accident.
@hem000000 #notruckstocolorado justice for ROGEL #fyp
Faced with the sentence, deemed excessive by truckers, many protested both on the roads and on social networks. On TikTok, the hashtag #NoTrucksToColorado has reached 10.9 million views and other keywords continue to be created in response to the case. “My truck will no longer go to Colorado for the next 110 years,” reads a video posted on TikTok.
@secretloser23 justiceforrogelaguilera-mederos #notrucksincolorado
Kim Kardashian to the rescue
A petition has been launched on Change.org asking the authorities to reduce the trucker’s prison sentence or grant him clemency. More than 4.7 million people have already signed the petition, which is now aiming for six million signatures.
The judge himself expressed sadness in announcing the sentence of 110 years in prison to Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, stating that if he could, he would not have imposed the 110 years in jail. Many internet users, and even Kim Kardashian West, have denounced Colorado’s mandatory minimum sentencing laws.
“Colorado law really has to be changed and this is so unfair. @GovofCO is a really good person and I know he will do the right thing,” wrote Kim Kardashian West on Twitter, appealing to the governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, in the process.
Another shocking and unfair part of this case is that the judge didn’t want to sentence him to such a lengthy sentence. However, because of the mandatory minimums in Colorado, his hands were tied. Mandatory minimums take away judicial discretion and need to end.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 21, 2021
The businesswoman also took exception to a post from the prosecutor, Kayla Wildeman, after the verdict.
Another shocking part of the case is this post by the prosecutor after his conviction. Four people died in this tragic accident. Rogel has a life sentence for the accident, which will not only destroy his life, but it will also impact his wife and son’s life. pic.twitter.com/xrYSqL2IvM
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) December 21, 2021
“For some reason the prosecutor thought it would be funny to post a photo of a brake shoe trophy she received from a colleague with a plaque? Makes me so sick,” she tweeted.
Faced with mounting pressure on social networks, the district attorney’s office said it had “filed a motion to start the reconsideration process,” requesting a new hearing “as soon as practicable,” reports ABC News. AP/JB
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