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

Paul Cromwell
William Lemus
Ron Sanchez
Paxton Helms
Sara Grigera
Demetrios Festa
Jeff Buck
Zachary Weinstein
Sara Gray
Sonia Novik
Ashley Badgley
Alex Keeton
Mirchaye Kebede
Andrea Lippin
Faith Nichols
Lauren Honesty
Aileen Clarke
Gretchen Cook
Rachel Bergsieker
Katelyn Gallagher
Steven Feingold
Casey Upton
Tracey Dalebroux
Kelly Peak
Kristen Kozlowski
andrew F
Margaret O'Connor
Parker Smith
Melissa Funkey
Julianne Forzano
4,016 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Paul Cromwell
    signed 2018-12-18 13:39:39 -0500
  • William Lemus
    signed via 2018-12-18 13:30:53 -0500
  • Ron Sanchez
    signed 2018-12-18 13:25:18 -0500
  • Paxton Helms
    signed 2018-12-18 13:21:44 -0500
    Giving this beautiful piece of riverside land (to say nothing of the millions in subsidies) to a football team would be the defining tragedy or Capitol Hill. There are SO MANY higher-priority uses! Tell Dan Snyder to go somewhere else —-and put this extraordinary resource to its highest and best use.
  • Sara Grigera
    signed 2018-12-18 13:20:48 -0500
  • Demetrios Festa
    signed 2018-12-18 13:18:19 -0500
    This would be a massive waste of city space and prioritize millionaires over the hard working people of the city. Absolutely no stadium for football at RFK.
  • Jeff Buck
    signed 2018-12-18 13:15:58 -0500
  • Zachary Weinstein
    signed 2018-12-18 13:08:32 -0500
  • Sara Gray
    signed via 2018-12-18 13:01:46 -0500
  • Sonia Novik
    signed via 2018-12-18 12:54:51 -0500
  • Ashley Badgley
    signed 2018-12-18 12:54:51 -0500
  • Alex Keeton
    signed 2018-12-18 12:50:54 -0500
  • Mirchaye Kebede
    signed 2018-12-18 12:50:04 -0500
  • Andrea Lippin
    signed via 2018-12-18 12:49:22 -0500
  • Faith Nichols
    signed via 2018-12-18 12:45:03 -0500
  • Lauren Honesty
    signed 2018-12-18 12:44:58 -0500
  • Aileen Clarke
    signed 2018-12-18 12:42:15 -0500
  • Gretchen Cook
    signed via 2018-12-18 12:26:23 -0500
  • Rachel Bergsieker
    signed 2018-12-18 12:19:32 -0500
  • Katelyn Gallagher
    signed 2018-12-18 12:18:05 -0500
  • Steven Feingold
    signed 2018-12-18 12:17:16 -0500
  • Casey Upton
    signed 2018-12-18 12:14:01 -0500
    Casey Stewart Upton
  • Tracey Dalebroux
    signed via 2018-12-18 12:11:02 -0500
  • Kelly Peak
    signed 2018-12-18 12:10:56 -0500
  • Kristen Kozlowski
    signed 2018-12-18 12:07:49 -0500
  • andrew F
    signed 2018-12-18 12:05:31 -0500
    Don’t give tax breaks to billionaires, especially Dan Snyder. I like the redskins but land is too valuable in this city for an NFL stadium. This is shortsighted and political BS from a developer loving mayor who ignores the will of the people!
  • Margaret O'Connor
    signed 2018-12-18 12:04:27 -0500
  • Parker Smith
    signed 2018-12-18 12:04:13 -0500
  • Melissa Funkey
    signed 2018-12-18 12:00:20 -0500
  • Julianne Forzano
    signed 2018-12-18 11:55:09 -0500