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

paula cohen
Lynn Murphy
Viki Reath
Kyle Jean Hamos
Dominique Vincent-Vobis
Samson Dixon
Sam McFarland
Deborah Martens
Beth Wadsworth
Laura Fowler
Ivory Zorich
Heather Waigand
Adam Breen
Gaetan Damberg-Ott
Christopher Salm
Serena Fossi
Michael Flood
Michael Neuroth
Kristina Hansen
Jarrod Banks
Jennifer Flather
Richard Shin
Matthild Schneider
Laurie Calhoun
Brian Doyle
Stephanie Zimny
Suzanne Defelice
Ian Story
Susan Goldfarb
Cj Penso
4,003 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • paula cohen
    signed via 2018-12-18 20:03:18 -0500
  • Lynn Murphy
    signed 2018-12-18 19:40:52 -0500
  • Viki Reath
    signed 2018-12-18 19:25:10 -0500
  • Kyle Jean Hamos
    signed via 2018-12-18 19:24:10 -0500
  • Dominique Vincent-Vobis
    signed 2018-12-18 19:19:38 -0500
  • Samson Dixon
    signed 2018-12-18 19:17:13 -0500
  • Sam McFarland
    signed 2018-12-18 18:51:00 -0500
  • Deborah Martens
    signed 2018-12-18 18:48:37 -0500
  • Beth Wadsworth
    signed 2018-12-18 18:41:10 -0500
  • Laura Fowler
    signed 2018-12-18 18:37:37 -0500
  • Ivory Zorich
    signed 2018-12-18 18:36:44 -0500
  • Heather Waigand
    signed 2018-12-18 18:35:43 -0500
  • Adam Breen
    signed 2018-12-18 18:28:21 -0500
  • Gaetan Damberg-Ott
    signed via 2018-12-18 18:17:31 -0500
  • Christopher Salm
    signed via 2018-12-18 18:11:46 -0500
  • Serena Fossi
    signed 2018-12-18 18:05:47 -0500
    Linking the two sides of the Anacostia with a plan for a healthy river and communities with a focus on inclusive, varied housing and local business encouragement would be an awesome use if the District can obtain this property.
  • Michael Flood
    signed 2018-12-18 17:57:33 -0500
    Let Dan pay for his own stadium. If it doesn’t make sense for him and the NFL, why would it make sense to DC taxpayers. Let’s not forget how quick Dan moved out of DC.
  • Michael Neuroth
    signed 2018-12-18 17:49:47 -0500
  • Kristina Hansen
    signed 2018-12-18 17:45:34 -0500
  • Jarrod Banks
    signed 2018-12-18 17:44:22 -0500
  • Jennifer Flather
    signed 2018-12-18 17:42:46 -0500
  • Richard Shin
    signed 2018-12-18 17:41:39 -0500
  • Matthild Schneider
    signed 2018-12-18 17:40:55 -0500
  • Laurie Calhoun
    signed via 2018-12-18 17:37:14 -0500
  • Brian Doyle
    signed 2018-12-18 17:32:59 -0500
    No deals for stadiums, the city always loses!
  • Stephanie Zimny
    signed via 2018-12-18 17:23:04 -0500
  • Suzanne Defelice
    signed 2018-12-18 17:22:46 -0500
  • Ian Story
    signed 2018-12-18 17:22:28 -0500
  • Susan Goldfarb
    signed 2018-12-18 17:06:03 -0500
  • Cj Penso
    signed 2018-12-18 17:00:59 -0500
    Maybe don’t give more to a man who insists on using a racial slur for his team.