I second the concealed carry permit, just make sure if you go that route you get some quality training as well.

Police are generally worthless when it comes to helping cyclists, drivers are not aggressive here but bike theft is horrible. I know people who found their bike locked inside a fenced in yard, called the police and they just told them they are not coming.

I would also look for an additional route, even if it is longer but you may have already tried that. People in the south generally do not handle cyclists well and get pissy whenever someone challenges their car based lifestyle, it is part of why I moved out of TN and that was not even the deep south like you are in.

I have seen some commuters mount a go-pro camera on their bike for video evidence when people run them off the road, etc.

Either way good luck to you.