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

Lee Stablein
Claire Fallender
Amy Jones
nichole graber
Mark Hofberg
Courtney McCaffrey
Emily Naden
Shantasia Mitchell
Jonathan Yoder
Vicki A Lancaster
Laura Sanders
Kevin Horgan
Emily Bell
Abby Greenwald
Deborah DeGeorge
Linda Duquette Petersen
Susan Yoder
Carrie Dellesky
Jeffrey Oser
Marya McQuirter
Katharine Cooley
Kate Goertzen
Peter Cizmadia
Tiffany Riffer
Edward Smith
Sean Kinne
Aaron Leis
Neil Gormley
4,002 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Lee Stablein
    signed 2018-12-15 14:12:48 -0500
  • Claire Fallender
    signed 2018-12-15 14:10:43 -0500
  • Amy Jones
    signed 2018-12-15 14:10:29 -0500
  • nichole graber
    signed 2018-12-15 13:53:28 -0500
  • Mark Hofberg
    signed via 2018-12-15 13:52:11 -0500
  • Courtney McCaffrey
    signed 2018-12-15 13:51:13 -0500
  • Emily Naden
    signed 2018-12-15 13:33:05 -0500
  • Unusually Dope
    @CloudSniffa tweeted link to this page. 2018-12-15 13:30:11 -0500
    Sign the petition: Hail No to a New Stadium at RFK - Add Your Name Below https://www.hailnorfk.com/?recruiter_id=1218460
  • Shantasia Mitchell
    signed 2018-12-15 13:29:55 -0500
    You ALL should be ashamed of yourselves. Schools aren’t needed in the DMV, no! Homeless shelters that ACTUALLY rehabilitate those on the streets or assist them in getting their own land/property aren’t needed, NO! What the DMV really needs is yet ANOTHER bleeping stadium 2 house 1 of the SORRIEST, SADDEST TEAMS IN THE NFL SINCE IT BEGAN! YUP! That’s all we need folks! We don’t need food that is ORGANIC & FREE OF DEATH nope! Just give us another effin DEADskins stadium & we will be alright.
  • Jonathan Yoder
    signed via 2018-12-15 13:28:56 -0500
  • Vicki A Lancaster
    signed 2018-12-15 13:26:54 -0500
    I do not want my tax money going to subsidize a billionaire!!!
  • Laura Sanders
    signed 2018-12-15 13:25:12 -0500
  • Kevin Horgan
    signed 2018-12-15 13:24:49 -0500
  • Emily Bell
    signed 2018-12-15 13:19:02 -0500
  • Abby Greenwald
    signed via 2018-12-15 13:18:55 -0500
    Abby Greenwald
  • Deborah DeGeorge
    signed 2018-12-15 13:17:51 -0500
  • Linda Duquette Petersen
    signed 2018-12-15 13:17:44 -0500
    No stadium at RFK
  • Susan Yoder
    signed 2018-12-15 13:17:23 -0500
  • Priscilla Magee
    @Priscilla_Magee tweeted link to this page. 2018-12-15 13:16:58 -0500
    Sign the petition: Hail No to a New Stadium at RFK - Add Your Name Below https://www.hailnorfk.com/?recruiter_id=1194425
  • Carrie Dellesky
    signed 2018-12-15 13:15:44 -0500
  • Jeffrey Oser
    signed 2018-12-15 13:14:23 -0500
    I live in the immediate neighborhood and vehemently oppose a new stadium. Not only is it a reckless idea to waste financial resources supporing Dan Snyder, but the land by a major Metro station and the Anacostia River has a higher and better use for sustainable development that will enhance the river’s ecosystem and provide much needed affordable and market rate housing and neighborhood amenities. The only reason I see to support an stadium is civic pride, but there are much better ways to express love for the city than this morass.
  • Marya McQuirter
    signed 2018-12-15 13:11:42 -0500
  • Katharine Cooley
    signed 2018-12-15 13:10:52 -0500
  • Kate Goertzen
    signed 2018-12-15 13:08:53 -0500
  • Peter Cizmadia
    signed 2018-12-15 13:07:47 -0500
  • Tiffany Riffer
    signed 2018-12-15 13:05:43 -0500
  • Edward Smith
    signed 2018-12-15 13:04:03 -0500
  • Sean Kinne
    signed 2018-12-15 13:03:42 -0500
  • Aaron Leis
    signed 2018-12-15 13:01:32 -0500
  • Neil Gormley
    signed via 2018-12-15 12:53:07 -0500