Minnesota Police Coordinate With Pipeline Company to Thwart Protesters
Water protectors protesting a controversial pipeline project claim that a working relationship between police and the company behind its construction explain escalating police tactics.
Landwebs
While Minnesota police responsible for public safety surrounding the construction of an oil pipeline have repeatedly denied having a close relationship with Enbridge, the company behind the controversial energy project, newly-obtained records indicate that Enbridge has actually provided repeated trainings for officers designed to cultivate a coordinated response to protests, establishing a working relationship between the two parties that includes regular intelligence-sharing meetings, reports The Intercept.
Line 3 opponents have long raised concerns about payments made to law enforcement by Enbridge to cover pipeline-related policing. A special account set up by the state of Minnesota has distributed $2.3 million in Enbridge funds to public safety agencies so far. The records also suggest that Enbridge has stepped in to influence how officers respond to the protest movement, with water protectors pointing to the close working relationship to explain escalating police tactics, with rubber bullets and other “less-lethal” weapons deployed in recent weeks. Emails between Enbridge and members of the Northern Lights Task Force — a group consisting of sheriffs and public safety officials coordinating plans for expected protests against Line 3 — describe several joint training exercises and other coordination meetings set up by the energy firm.
