Minnesota Freedom Fund, the bail fund that Vice President Kamala Harris backed, has been used to assist protesters arrested during ongoing environmental demonstrations in Minnesota.
Conservation groups involved in organizing protests against the Line 3 pipeline project in northern Minnesota have directed individuals to the Minnesota Freedom Fund (MFF) for bail assistance. Vice President Kamala Harris urged her Twitter followers to donate to the MFF last summer to help Black Lives Matter protesters post bail.
“The Minnesota Freedom Fund has committed to supporting the movement for all bail needs,” the Pipeline Legal Action Network, a group supporting the legal needs of the pipeline protesters, stated on its website.
In addition, the conservation organization 350 Rutland County, which has organized Line 3 demonstrations, directed people who couldn’t attend the protests to donate money to the MFF.
The Canadian oil company Enbridge, which operates the Line 3 pipeline, is more than halfway through constructing its $4 billion replacement, according to MPR News. The pipeline has transported tar sands oil from Canada to the U.S. through Minnesota for more than 50 years.
Enbridge transports 25% of the total crude oil produced in North America and is responsible for 40% of U.S. crude oil imports. The company operates about 17,127 miles of pipeline in North America.
But thousands have protested the Line 3 renovation project in recent days, arguing that it infringes on Native American land and is harmful for the environment, The New York Times reported.
