A small group of concerned Sequim citizens rallied outside U.S. Bank on Saturday.

More than 10 protesters stood outside U.S. Bank on the corner of West Washington Street and North Sequim Avenue on Saturday, Feb. 18, with signs encouraging U.S. Bank to divest from alleged financial ties to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) project.

Groups also gathered in Port Townsend in the past few weeks outside Wells Fargo and Chase banks, also involved in lending funds to the pipeline project. The response is due to a number of protests that arose throughout the nation after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January that would further the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines.

Carole Woods, co-organizer of the group in Sequim, said gathering together in protest is the most effective thing citizens can do.

Woods stated the group is not protesting against local employees or Sequim customers of U.S. Bank but against the company’s head offices allegedly involved in lending funds to the oil pipeline project.

Woods and her husband are customers of U.S. Bank and said if the bank did not divest from financial ties to the project soon, they will move their accounts.

“They might suppress our vote but they can’t suppress a boycott,” she said.

Whe-Whe Olitza and Cathy MacGregor of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe also were in attendance protesting against the bank’s alleged involvement in the DAPL. Olitza beat a small drum during the protest and said she was at Standing Rock last fall where she donated winter clothes, food and tents in November.

Anita Matthay said U.S. Bank is one of the higher investors in the pipeline project and believes companies need to stop breaking treaties with Native Americans.

Woods said these protests may be an ongoing event in the future. Officials of U.S. Bank declined to comment.