A Teacher Sees An “Offensive” License Plate And Sparks State Investigation

An image of a Utah vanity license plate surfaced on Twitter and has resulted in backlash for the car owner. Residents in the state are horrified that the driver was able to obtain the offensive and potentially r… vanity plate,

“DEPORTM” which a high school teacher helped shed more light upon. Matt Pacenza is a high school English teacher from Utah, found an image of the offensive plate, and tweeted a photo of it along with the words: “Hey (Utah Driver License Division), how does this plate I just saw not your guidelines?”

Many people responded to the image. Over one hundred people saw the vanity plate as a “horrific” oversight. One person wrote, “that should never have been accepted by the DMV.”

A CNN affiliate, KSL, contacted the Utah Department of Motor Vehicles. After some conversation, the reporter came into contact with the public information officer, Tammy Kikuchi, who confirmed that the plate was real and had been approved five years ago in 2015.

Offensive speech can sometimes be protected by the first amendment in the United States Constitution. Unless the speech institutes a threat or incitement to violence, it can pass such scrutiny as this one did. But when it comes to these vanity license plates, states have the power to institute some general rules to curb offensive messages from disrupting the public.

The DMV website confirmed that any letter or number combinations for vanity plates that are deemed “vulgar, derogatory, profane or obscene and express contempt, ridicule or superiority of a race, religion, deity, ethnic heritage, gender, or political affiliation” are not allowed.

Daniel Thatcher, a Republican state senator, noticed the English teacher’s tweet and agreed that it was blatantly offensive. Thatcher had reached out to the DMV as well but did not receive a reply as fast as the connected CNN affiliate did.

However, Thatcher followed up his tweet with another the next day. He confirmed that the state Tax Commission had become aware of the plate and that an investigation into the person behind its creation and approvers had been launched.

The Republicans said that the offender was using “State resources to promote divisiveness and .”

Similarly, for State Senator Luz Escamilla, the license plate was of great concern. She was very upset that someone was driving around the state with the message on their car and so scheduled the topic for review this past Wednesday at the Utah Legislature’s administrative rules review committee meeting, according to reports.

Representatives from both the Tax Commission and the DMV were prepared to attend the meeting to make it clear that they do not approve of this usage of the plate. As part of the meeting, the committee will learn how Utah goes about deciding what is or is not and who pushed through this vanity plate back in 2015.

KUTV asked the DMV for a list of rejected vanity plate names and received more than one hundred, including, but not limited to, “SAUSAGE,” “NSTYHOE,” “W1NGMAN,” and

Related Posts

FBI Looking At Potential Accomplices to Kirk Assassination

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday that investigators are examining whether Charlie Kirk’s accused assassin acted alone or as part of a broader plot, noting evidence…

NURSE VS DOCTOR: HOSPITAL ERUPTS AFTER COMMENTS ON CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION

workplace clash at Englewood Health in New Jersey turned into a national story after nurse Lexi Kuenzle reported Dr. M atthew Jung for allegedly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s…

Bongino Says FBI Arrested Thousands In Major Summer Operation

Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino announced sweeping results from “Operation Summer Heat,” a nationwide crackdown launched in June targeting violent crime, gangs, and fraud. In an update…

RIP Our beloved actor just passed away.. See more

RIP 😥 Our beloved actor Ma has sadly passed away, leaving fans around the world in shock and mourning. News of his death spread quickly across social…

VIDEO: Before the incident with Charlie Kirk, the slow-motion video captures the exact moment in the frame…

In the realm of political activism and public discourse, moments of high tension often become focal points for media coverage, social media debates, and public analysis. One…

Grace Kelley, Wynonna Judd’s Daughter, Shares the Struggles She Faced Growing Up—Her Story

Grace Kelley, 28, daughter of country star Wynonna Judd, recalls a childhood shaped more by trauma than fame. Despite her family’s public image, she describes her early…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *