Pence replaced as commencement speaker following Kenosha unrest

Vice President Pence will be replaced as the commencement speaker at an upcoming graduation for a college in Milwaukee, the school announced Thursday, citing the protests in Kenosha, Wis., following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.  

Wisconsin Lutheran College said the administration and the school’s board of regents jointly decided to “present a different speaker instead” ahead of its Saturday commencement “after further review with careful consideration of the escalating events in Kenosha.”  

The school said it will instead have the Rev. Mark Jeske of St. Marcus Lutheran Church serve as the commencement speaker. 

Wisconsin Lutheran College is a Christian college in Milwaukee that serves nearly 1,200 traditional undergraduate, adult and graduate students through its on-campus and online programming. 

Pence “understands and supports Wisconsin Lutheran College’s decision to prioritize the safety and well-being of their students, and wishes the students well as they celebrate the accomplishment of graduating from college and as they embark on their next journey,” Devin M. O’Malley, a spokesperson for Pence, said in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

A spokesperson for Pence was not immediately available for comment when contacted by The Hill. 

Protests have emerged in Kenosha after Blake was shot by police on Sunday. 

Two people were killed and one was injured in a shooting during a protest Tuesday night. Illinois police on Wednesday arrested 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse in connection with the shooting. He has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Kenosha.