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.

Related Posts

5 Simple Homemade Conditioners To Repair Your Hair Like A Charm

If your hair feels dry, frizzy, or damaged, you don’t need to spend money on costly salon treatments filled with chemicals. Some of the best solutions for…

Why You Keep Waking Up at Night — And What It Really Means

Waking up during the night, especially before a demanding day, can feel frustrating and disorienting. Yet, there may be more to these interruptions than random restlessness.According to…

Verdict Reached in Case of Aliccia Grant’s Passing at Home Depot Parking Lot

A case that deeply impacted north Phoenix has now reached its conclusion.Stephen Dennis, 36, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder…

Solving the Mystery of Alaska’s Missing Aircraft

The Discovery That Shocked Aviation History: Alaska’s Flight 66 Mystery Revealed Introduction: When Wilderness Yields Its Secrets Alaska’s vast and unforgiving landscape has long been a repository…

The Silent Tears of Commerce: When Charity Loses Its Way

Introduction: A Tale of Two Transactions In the intricate tapestry of human interaction, few threads reveal our true character as clearly as how we treat those who…

I Was Embarrassed by My Mother’s Motorcycle Until I Discovered the Heartbreaking Truth Behind It

A Story of Family, Freedom, and Finding Authentic Happiness Against All Expectations Sometimes the moments that initially embarrass us the most become the catalysts for the most…