How a Christian Nonprofit Helped a Controversial Minnesota Mining Company Buy Gear for Local Police

http://theintercept.com/2019/04/15/twin-metals-minnesota-shield616-police/
Date Written:  2019-04-15
Publisher:  The Intercept
Year Published:  2019
Resource Type:  Article
Cx Number:  CX23629

A Christian non-profit called Shield616 that donates gear to police forces has received donations from mining companies. This sparks concerns of a conflict of interest among residents that are protesting these mines.

Abstract: 
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Excerpt:

On February 19, seven Ely police officers stood behind a long table at the Ely City Council hall. On the table were seven sets of body armor, ballistic helmets, and first-aid kits. The officers and community members in the audience bowed their heads in prayer over the gear - an element of Shield616's standard gear presentations. "Our thanks to Twin Metals Minnesota for your generous donation to equip them with Shield616 gear!" read a Shield616 Facebook post later that day. An accompanying photo depicts Twin Metals CEO Kelly Osborne posing with the officers....

As armored personnel carriers designed for combat confronted pipeline protesters at Standing Rock, Shield616 made its first Minnesota donation during a ceremony held at Chisolm Baptist Church. Most of the organization's work in the state has centered in the Northeast, the area known as the Iron Range. Police departments in small towns, including Hibbing, Nashwauk, and Keewatin have all accepted equipment. Shield616 also donated gear to the police department in Babbitt, located near another highly controversial planned copper-nickel mine called PolyMet.