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A Hawaii MAGA supporter has sued the state for repeatedly trying to revoke his FCKBLM license plate.
Edward Odquina, 48, cruises the streets of Honolulu in a red Pontiac Firebird, sporting a short license plate for ‘F**k Black Lives Matter’.
The city of Honolulu approved the plates in January 2021. Seven months later, the city has been fighting to revoke its personalized plates, arguing that they were issued “in error” and that the shortened swear word violates the rule against “publicly objectionable” plates. .
“Your special personalized plate has been determined to be publicly objectionable due to an implied slur in the first three letter combinations on the plate,” a letter sent to Odquina, seen by the Saint Francis Gatesaying.
The Honolulu licensing administration office has threatened vehicle citations, fines and vehicle impoundments.
The plates were supposed to be returned in August 2021 or the vehicle would be deemed illegal.
Edward Odquina, 48, cruises the streets of Honolulu in a red Pontiac Firebird, sporting a short license plate for ‘F**k Black Lives Matter’
Odquina (pictured in red) sued the city to revoke his license plates on multiple occasions. The city of Honolulu countersued and won, as a judge ruled that Odquina had no constitutional right to blasphemy. He has appealed the decision, despite the fact that his plates were reportedly stolen on December 26.
“Furthermore, you will not be able to re-register your vehicle with the City and County of Honolulu until you turn in the withdrawn license plate,” the letter stated.
In June 2022, the city threatened legal action against Odquina, which he continued to ignore until he launched his own lawsuit against the city in September.
The Hawaiian claims his First Amendment rights are being violated, but the city countersued him, stating that the plates were issued “by mistake” since the supervisor who issued the plates did not know what BLM stood for.
When the supervisor asked over the phone what it stood for, Odquina allegedly told them it was an acronym for his business.
Odquina has two businesses that follow the acronym, however both were shelved after the plates were issued. Film Consulting Krav MAGA Bloomberg LLC, filed on August 13, 2021, and Fight Communism and Knucklehead B**ch Liberal Marxists filed on September 22, 2021, according to the San Francisco Gate.
However, before he had a chance to put the plates on his car or file his non-profit organizations with the Department of Commerce, a representative stamped his plates when he went to pick them up.
“It didn’t matter what he said it meant, as ‘FCK’ is short for swear words and that’s not allowed,” the representative testified, according to the San Francisco Gate.
Despite tagging the tag, the representative’s supervisor issued the tag because he feared “Odquina might become aggressive or out of control,” according to court documents.
“He would prefer to have the plate issued and then removed” so that “thereafter he could deal directly with Mr. Odquina rather than have him be aggressive with the staff of the Satélite City Hall,” the documents say.
However, Odquina argues in his own lawsuit that although his “messages include one that is strong, personal, and that others may find offensive” that the “First Amendment protects messages that are strong, personal, and that others may find offensive.” ‘
Two months after the Hawaiian filed his suit, a judge ruled in favor of the city, stating that “government speech is not subject to First Amendment review” and that it does not have a constitutional right to blasphemy.
Odquina has appealed the decision.
He also claimed that someone wearing an FBI T-shirt stole his Pontiac on December 26, but there is no evidence that an actual FBI representative touched his car. A police report was filed with the Honolulu Police Department and the car was later found abandoned without license plates, according to the San Francisco Gate.
Police are still investigating the incident.
Despite the missing plates, Odquina presses forward with the legal case.
If you win the appeal and the plates are recovered, you may be able to get the plates once all legal issues are resolved.