Hail No to a New Stadium at RFK - Add Your Name Below

Read my August 1, 2023 op-ed in the Washington Post.

If you believe the 190 acres of RFK's campus could be more than the next NFL stadium, say #HailNo and sign this petition below:

"As a DC resident, I am against a deal that gives away a single square foot of land or a single District tax dollar to build a new stadium.

  • I believe the 190 acres alongside the Anacostia River could be so much more than oceans of asphalt for surface parking and a 60,000 seat stadium.

  • On average, most NFL stadiums only hold 10 to 20 events annually outside of eight NFL home games, meaning the stadium sits empty more than 300 days a year. An enormous space that sits empty doesn’t spur economic growth or create meaingful jobs and doesn’t help the surrounding community.

  • Make no mistake - people drive to NFL games and they're going to park somewhere, regardless of how much is available. At San Francisco's new stadium, they had to rent out all of the parking lots at a nearby amusement park. Where do you think people will park around RFK if there isn't enough parking for fans?

  • Nationwide, since 1997 we've seen the NFL pit communities against each other while collecting more than $6.7 billion dollars from taxpayers to build stadiums for privately-owned teams. Overall, local taxpayers end up footing around half the bill for a new NFL stadium.  

  • The costs of these projects are always higher than estimated. The five most recent newly-constructed NFL stadiums have surpassed more than $1 billion dollars each!

  • As a DC resident, I don't want to see DC hoodwinked into paying for a billionaire's stadium. The District needs our tax dollars to create new housing at all levels, support local DC entrepreneurs who run small and local business, take urgent steps forward to shift to a 100% clean energy environment, build larger and modern schools for our growing city, fund our Metro system, and in general spend money to make life better and easier for DC residents.

  • Sitting on the banks of the historic Anacostia River, a new stadium and all of the traffic and trash that would come along, would set the Anacostia River's improvement back. RFK has never had to meet standards set by the National Environmental Policy Act, and I am concerned any deal worked out under the outgoing Congress would try to extend the exemption to holding the site accountable to environmental standards.

Dedicating millions of dollars to bring an NFL stadium to the District is a bad deal and a poor use of an incredible opportunity. 

Thank you."

Who's signing

MaryBeth Washington
Tara Ramchandani
Susan Goodman
Anthony Austin
Sue Healey
Gordon Keller
Ron Skoglund
Allyson Shaw
Malinda Harrell
Kelsey Livingston
Julian Hunt
Kristie McComb
Susan O'Connell
Leslie Brettschneider
Michele de Nevers
Ryan L. Masser
Jeffrey Warner
Elaine Qualter
Victoria Black
Aaron Feldman
Karen Whitman
Mary Lee Wulff
Susan Harper
Glee Murray
Lori Coscia
Trey Sherard
Ezra Ezra
Aaron Schumacher
Jirair Ratevosian
4,001 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • MaryBeth Washington
    signed 2019-02-15 23:36:33 -0500
  • Tara Ramchandani
    signed 2019-02-15 14:31:47 -0500
    let’s invest in healthy neighborhoods!
  • Susan Goodman
    signed 2019-02-15 14:01:04 -0500
    If DC residents have no parking, stadium attendees shouldn’t either. Double standard by mayor and council.
  • Anthony Austin
    signed 2019-02-15 11:06:42 -0500
  • Sue Healey
    signed 2019-02-15 10:51:44 -0500
  • Gordon Keller
    signed 2019-02-15 10:36:06 -0500
    The East Hill neighborhood of Washington DC does not need a new NFL stadium giveaway to a failing billionaire owner. The impacts on the environment, on traffic congestion, on parking in neighborhoods, and on overall quality of life are too great. Not a single DC tax dollar should be spent or offered as incentive for an NFL move back into DC. We don’t need it and we don’t want it!
  • Ron Skoglund
    signed 2019-02-15 10:04:42 -0500
  • Allyson Shaw
    signed 2019-02-15 09:57:37 -0500
  • Malinda Harrell
    signed 2019-02-15 09:51:59 -0500
    Malinda Harrell
  • Kelsey Livingston
    signed 2019-02-15 09:37:50 -0500
  • Jennifer Albee
    @jennifer_albee tweeted link to this page. 2019-02-15 08:59:34 -0500
    Save my neighborhood! Sign the petition: Hail No to a New Stadium at RFK - Add Your Name Below https://www.hailnorfk.com/?recruiter_id=1221431
  • Julian Hunt
    signed via 2019-02-15 08:55:41 -0500
  • Kristie McComb
    signed 2019-02-15 08:19:56 -0500
    We can do much better for our DC residents than a football stadium. Back to the drawing board and please listen to the citizens of DC!
  • Susan O'Connell
    signed 2019-02-15 07:31:46 -0500
    Susan O’Connell
  • Leslie Brettschneider
    signed 2019-02-15 07:25:08 -0500
  • Michele de Nevers
    signed 2019-02-15 07:18:13 -0500
  • Ryan L. Masser
    signed 2019-02-15 07:00:25 -0500
    Ryan L. Masser
  • Jeffrey Warner
    signed 2019-02-15 06:48:37 -0500
  • Elaine Qualter
    signed 2019-02-14 22:33:05 -0500
  • Victoria Black
    signed 2019-02-14 22:10:02 -0500
    Timothy Gibraltar
  • Aaron Feldman
    signed 2019-02-14 20:51:06 -0500
  • Karen Whitman
    signed 2019-02-14 19:52:53 -0500
  • Mary Lee Wulff
    signed 2019-02-14 19:18:21 -0500
  • Susan Harper
    signed 2019-02-14 18:33:06 -0500
    Parking is already a problem and we already have National Stadium and the Soccer Stadium, enough is enough.
  • Glee Murray
    signed 2019-02-14 17:29:54 -0500
  • Lori Coscia
    signed 2019-02-14 17:01:34 -0500
    No Stadium for a football team that I won’t even vocalize their name.
  • Trey Sherard
    signed 2019-02-14 16:54:15 -0500
  • Ezra Ezra
    signed 2019-02-14 16:49:07 -0500
  • Aaron Schumacher
    signed 2019-02-14 16:48:15 -0500
  • Jirair Ratevosian
    signed 2019-02-14 16:46:31 -0500