A new report indicates the company behind a Western Massachusetts pipeline project is paying Massachusetts State Police to subdue protests against it.
Houston-based Kinder Morgan paid almost 116-thousand dollars to State Police for "authority" and "security" work related to protests at the site of ongoing work in Otis State Forest, as of June 3rd, according to financial records obtained by the public records site MuckRock.
A State Police spokesperson says the payments don't represent a conflict of interest, and that authorities provide such security details for events on a routine basis, including New England Patriots games or the Boston Marathon.
Police have arrested over 60 activists so far this year.
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