MOUNTAIN VIEW — Dozens of activists took to the streets Thursday to protest construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, standing in solidarity with thousands of Native Americans and environmentalists in North Dakota who’ve protested the controversial oil pipeline for several months.

The protest, organized by the “Alliance in Solidarity with Standing Rock,” aimed to criticize corporate involvement in construction of the $3.8 billion project.

Activists on Thursday demonstrated in front of Citibank on San Antonio Road and later walked down the street to Wells Fargo at the intersection of West El Camino Real and North San Antonio Road. Both banks are among the financial institutions said to be funding the multimillion-dollar project. Organizers urged participants to close their accounts with these institutions.

var _ndnq = _ndnq || []; _ndnq.push([’embed’]);

“We need to strip these institutions,” said Seth Donnelly, who organized the rally. “We do not want to fund the oppression of Native Americans.”

Citibank declined to comment for this story. A Northern California spokeswoman for Wells Fargo did not respond to a request for comment.

The 1,172-mile pipeline is expected to carry hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil per day, traveling through four states before eventually connecting with an existing pipeline in Patoka, Illinois.

It’s under construction near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. Native American groups argue the pipeline would ruin sacred ancestral sites and could threaten the reservation’s clean drinking water. The Sioux tribe has opposed the project since it was proposed in 2014.

Installation of the pipeline has prompted a massive outcry throughout the country, with hundreds of activists, environmentalists, politicians and even celebrities joining the Sioux tribe in protests.

Police often clash with the protesters who have kept vigil at the project site for several months, blocking construction of the pipeline.

Though the Mountain View group started off small, about 60 people eventually joined the protest, drawing honks and cheers from many cars that drove by. Some people stopped to watch, as participants chanted, “stop the pipeline!”

Palo Alto resident Arlene Mock said she wished she could join protesters in North Dakota but that the trip northeast was simply too far. So when she heard of Thursday’s rally in the South Bay, the 68-year-old didn’t hesitate to attend.

“The pipeline is going to poison their water and take away land from American Indians,” she said. “We must protect our water. We need water to live. If we don’t have water, how are we going to live?”

Maria Ortega said frustration spurred her to act.

“I feel that there have been so many injustices recently and I’ve had enough,” said the Mountain View resident. “I feel like it starts here, standing up for Standing Rock.”

The 17-year-old held a poster that read, “Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught and the last stream poisoned will we realize that we cannot eat money.”

Ortega’s friend, an artist, drew an image of a Native American man along with the message.

“This affects everyone. Water is life. Citibank, Wells Fargo and many other banks, they’re using our money to fund this,” Ortega said.