A private college in Wisconsin has canceled Vice President Mike Pence’s upcoming commencement speech, citing the unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Lutheran College announced the change on Thursday “after further review with careful consideration of the escalating events in Kenosha,” according to the Associated Press.
The school has approximately 1,200 students and is about 40 miles from Kenosha, the city where Blake, a black 29-year-old man, was shot several times by a Kenosha police officer.
The report said hundreds of students and alumni signed an open letter online protesting Pence’s address. In Pence’s place, the Rev. Mark Jeske of St. Marcus Lutheran Church will speak. The commencement ceremony is scheduled for Saturday morning, according to the school’s website.
Tensions in Kenosha, a city of roughly 100,000 residents, have been escalating since the viral video emerged of Blake getting shot on Sunday.
Protests and violence have taken place daily in Kenosha, including a shooting Wednesday morning that left two people dead and another injured. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested in connection to the shooting and charged with first-degree intentional homicide.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating the Blake shooting with the help of the FBI and state and local authorities. Federal investigators have also begun a civil rights inquiry. Officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, and Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the police force, was identified as the only officer who fired his weapon.
A preliminary investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice found that Blake admitted he was in possession of a knife, and investigators found one on the driver’s side floorboard in the car where Blake was reaching when he was shot.
Blake’s family said this week that he has been paralyzed as a result of the shooting. Blake remains hospitalized in serious condition.
