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 Smiskol
Trevor Peglowski
Leilah Joseph
John McCracken
Michael Belki
Nora Toiv
Karen Hughes
Matthew Loggie
Adam D. Schiff
Dirk Bokeloh
Aparna Raj
Tristan Wood
Britton Davis
Sarah Gabriel
Fredric Simonton
oliver josephs
Susan Spaulding
Evan Higgs
Bradford Lovett
Brianna Lux
Siena Hacker
Andrew Sayer
Roderick Coates
Anaia Peddie
Katherine Lahnstein
Elizabeth Costello
Julia Greenspan
Ashley Gibbs
Roberta Stewart
4,016 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Paul Smiskol
    signed 2018-12-17 15:55:00 -0500
  • Trevor Peglowski
    signed 2018-12-17 15:54:53 -0500
    Trevor Peglowski
  • Leilah Joseph
    signed 2018-12-17 15:54:27 -0500
  • John McCracken
    signed 2018-12-17 15:53:12 -0500
  • Michael Belki
    signed via 2018-12-17 15:51:29 -0500
  • Nora Toiv
    signed 2018-12-17 15:51:26 -0500
  • Karen Hughes
    signed via 2018-12-17 15:50:35 -0500
  • Matthew Loggie
    signed 2018-12-17 15:48:45 -0500
  • Adam D. Schiff
    signed 2018-12-17 15:45:52 -0500
  • Dirk Bokeloh
    signed 2018-12-17 15:42:18 -0500
  • Aparna Raj
    signed 2018-12-17 15:42:14 -0500
  • Tristan Wood
    signed 2018-12-17 15:40:16 -0500
  • Britton Davis
    signed 2018-12-17 15:37:43 -0500
  • Sarah Gabriel
    signed 2018-12-17 15:35:57 -0500
  • Fredric Simonton
    signed 2018-12-17 15:33:33 -0500
  • oliver josephs
    signed 2018-12-17 15:32:07 -0500
  • Susan Spaulding
    signed 2018-12-17 15:31:27 -0500
    I am a native Washingtonian and this is a bad deal for DC. The billionaire owner of a losing team has no business enjoying benefits on the backs of so many disappointed fans.
  • Evan Higgs
    signed 2018-12-17 15:31:19 -0500
  • Bradford Lovett
    signed via 2018-12-17 15:28:51 -0500
    Bradford Lovett
  • Brianna Lux
    signed 2018-12-17 15:28:44 -0500
    Let’s not forget that the Washington football team still has a racist mascot. This does not reflect DC’s values. I’m also especially concerned about the environmental impact. The Anacostia River has made great strides in recent years, and we should be appreciating this green space, not ruining it.
  • Siena Hacker
    signed 2018-12-17 15:28:11 -0500
  • Andrew Sayer
    signed 2018-12-17 15:27:47 -0500
  • Roderick Coates
    signed 2018-12-17 15:27:26 -0500
  • Anaia Peddie
    signed 2018-12-17 15:19:19 -0500
  • Katherine Lahnstein
    signed via 2018-12-17 15:16:33 -0500
  • Elizabeth Costello
    signed 2018-12-17 15:14:49 -0500
  • Daniel Fogg
    @danfogg08 tweeted link to this page. 2018-12-17 15:14:36 -0500
    Sign the petition: Hail No to a New Stadium at RFK - Add Your Name Below https://www.hailnorfk.com/?recruiter_id=1219304
  • Julia Greenspan
    signed 2018-12-17 15:14:35 -0500
  • Ashley Gibbs
    signed 2018-12-17 15:06:18 -0500
  • Roberta Stewart
    signed 2018-12-17 15:00:39 -0500