В Миссури мужчина намерен подать жалобу на госномер с расистским оскорблением азиатов

Man says racial slur on Missouri license plate should not have been approved Missouri Department of Revenue says plate went through three-tier review process ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A personalized Missouri license plate bearing a derogatory term toward Asians is drawing criticism after a shopper spotted it outside a Schnucks on Gravois near Hampton, just south of St. Louis Hills. James, who saw the plate, said he is a second-generation Asian American. “They’re allowing a racial slur to be on a plate,” James said. Shopper reacts to plate James said seeing the plate brought back painful memories. He grew up in St. Louis, and was often called the slur by other children, and heard it again during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was constantly called that word. And so growing up was kind of tough at times,” James said. “During COVID-19, I started hearing a lot of it. You know, kind of blaming Chinese-Americans and not even Chinese-Americans, Asian-Americans altogether for what happened during that time.” James described to First Alert 4 that he was shocked and disappointed to see the word on a personalized plate. “I just was just so surprised how such a hate word, how such a racial slur would be allowed and how it even got slipped by the Department of Revenue,” James said. Department of Revenue responds First Alert 4 requested an interview from the Missouri Department of Revenue, and instead received a statement addressing the plate. The full statement reads: “All personalized plates are vetted through a three-tier review system, the last step includes a review by our legal department. Because a license plate is limited in the number of characters, applicants often use a part of their first or last name – as is the case here. Perhaps the first step for anyone who may be offended by someone’s personalized plate would be to contact the Missouri Department of Revenue with their concern.” James responded to that statement. “That tells me that they really don’t care about offending certain people in the population,” James said. First Alert 4 previously reported that in 2001, Missouri courts approved a license plate reading “ARYAN,” a word used by Nazis asserting their superiority. The courts ruled the plate fell under the right to free speech, and the state cannot censor a license plate because it could make people angry. Very Asian Foundation weighs in First Alert 4 reached out to the Very Asian Foundation for reaction to the personalized plate. Claire Nipper, a Very Asian Foundation board member, provided a statement: “Drivers don’t get a chance to know the backstory of how a license plate gets approved, so it’s understandable that someone would be shocked and disappointed to see this highly derogatory and racist word on a government-issued license plate. It actually seems to violate Missouri’s own standards and laws, and we’ve seen news stories where MDOR has rejected plates that are less offensive,” Nipper said. “We recognize that some people may not be aware of the deeply derogatory history of the word and the harm it has caused Asian American communities. We hope this can be a learning moment for those who may not know that history, and for the MDOR to ensure greater awareness and care moving forward,” Nipper said. Complaint planned James said Asian Americans are as much a part of America as anyone else. “And so to have this word to be allowed versus other words, it’s just incredibly sad,” James said. James said he will file a complaint with the Department of Revenue about the license plate. He wants more answers on why the word was allowed while other racist language is not. Copyright 2026 KMOV. All rights reserved.