12 arrested in San Francisco in Dakota Access Pipeline protest

Pedestrians pass One Sansome St. in San Francisco in this file photo. Pedestrians pass One Sansome St. in San Francisco in this file photo. Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close 12 arrested in San Francisco in Dakota Access Pipeline protest 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

San Francisco police arrested a dozen people Monday who were protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline at Citibank headquarters in the city, officials said.

Demonstrators filled the street outside the building at 1 Sansome St. and filed into the lobby just before 9 a.m. carrying signs that read, “Water is Life” and “Citi Don’t Fund Dakota Access.”

Twelve protestors were arrested in the lobby on suspicion of trespassing after three orders for dispersal were ignored, said Officer Carlos Manfredi, a police spokesman.

They were expected to be cited and released, Manfredi said.

The protestors locked themselves to one another to prevent access to the elevators in the building, said Laurel Sutherlin, a 39-year-old San Francisco resident who joined the protest.

“The level of inconvenience of having to go to a different entrance when going to work is awfully small when compared to people putting their lives on the line to stop [the Dakota Access] from happening,” Sutherlin said.

The protest, organized by Diablo Rising Tide, demanded that Citibank halt financing of the $3.8 billion crude oil pipeline project that is expected to span 1,168 miles.

“Today was really about pulling the veil back and exposing [Citibank’s] association with this bigger controversy,” Sutherlin said. “Citibank still has the opportunity to pull out.”

The Standing Rock Sioux and environmental groups say the pipeline project threatens historic and sacred sites and drinking water from the Missouri River.

Ongoing protests in North Dakota took a turn Thursday when police stepped in and arrested about 140 people.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani