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

Elizabeth Striebel
Alicia Crain
Seth Horstmeyer
Lauren Krone
Jamie Kessler
Christy Leavitt
Joseph Boyette
Felicia Miller
Gail Walker
Erik Cullen
Shaun Brodie
Laural Veloz
Jennifer Barrie
Diana Hibbs
Erin Lauer
Adrianna Dolphin
Jeff Chin
Phil Williams
Alexandra Malis
Lauren Yamagata
Danielle Henry
Candace Fleming
Kiernan McGowan
Sheryl Freedman
Floyd Antonio Burt
Margaret Edwards
Charlotte Cluverius
Sarah Zaniello
Sandra Moscoso
Dan Early
4,002 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Elizabeth Striebel
    signed 2018-12-15 09:02:52 -0500
  • Alicia Crain
    signed 2018-12-15 09:00:00 -0500
  • Seth Horstmeyer
    signed 2018-12-15 08:59:46 -0500
  • Lauren Krone
    signed 2018-12-15 08:57:49 -0500
  • Jamie Kessler
    signed 2018-12-15 08:56:45 -0500
    No, no, no and no. Let me know if there are volunteers needed for any activity educating against.
  • Christy Leavitt
    signed 2018-12-15 08:53:27 -0500
  • Joseph Boyette
    signed 2018-12-15 08:50:50 -0500
  • Felicia Miller
    signed 2018-12-15 08:48:25 -0500
  • Gail Walker
    signed 2018-12-15 08:46:16 -0500
  • Erik Cullen
    signed 2018-12-15 08:39:57 -0500
  • Shaun Brodie
    signed 2018-12-15 08:38:30 -0500
    When I think of all that could be done with the grounds on which RFK sits that would better the community and elevate our residents, the idea of building a another stadium is just heartbreaking. A massive recreational sports complex or even the water park proposed a couple years ago would be substantially better uses of the space, be better for the urban fabric, and would cost taxpayers significantly less. NFL stadiums are bad urban neighbors and don’t belong in cities, and we certainly shouldn’t be subsidizing such bad neighbors with our tax dollars.
  • Laural Veloz
    signed 2018-12-15 08:38:30 -0500
  • Jennifer Barrie
    signed via 2018-12-15 08:37:30 -0500
  • Diana Hibbs
    signed via 2018-12-15 08:35:47 -0500
  • Erin Lauer
    signed 2018-12-15 08:32:55 -0500
  • Adrianna Dolphin
    signed 2018-12-15 08:31:10 -0500
  • Jeff Chin
    signed 2018-12-15 08:28:06 -0500
  • Phil Williams
    signed 2018-12-15 08:27:07 -0500
    Do not use my tax dollars to support a billionaire owner looking with a government subsidy to operate a team for 8 regular games per season on a prime piece of land. Instead negotiate with the federal government to redevelop of its land on the shores of the Anacostia River for multiple public use and the long conservation of our natural resources.
  • Alexandra Malis
    signed 2018-12-15 08:24:30 -0500
  • Lauren Yamagata
    signed 2018-12-15 08:23:02 -0500
  • Danielle Henry
    signed 2018-12-15 08:22:53 -0500
  • Candace Fleming
    signed 2018-12-15 08:21:45 -0500
  • Kiernan McGowan
    signed 2018-12-15 08:21:10 -0500
    No money, special treatment, tax breaks, or incentives of any kind should be given to the billionaire owners of a sports team with a racial slur for a name. That money and effort would be better spent on schools, parks, and programming aimed at the betterment of DC residents. If Dan Snyder wants a stadium tell him to pay for it himself.
  • Sheryl Freedman
    signed via 2018-12-15 08:21:03 -0500
  • Floyd Antonio Burt
    signed 2018-12-15 08:20:53 -0500
    Definitely oppose this reconstruction of the stadium.
  • Margaret Edwards
    signed via 2018-12-15 08:19:13 -0500
    Please put this land to better use. We need affordable housing!
  • Charlotte Cluverius
    signed via 2018-12-15 08:13:46 -0500
  • Sarah Zaniello
    signed 2018-12-15 08:11:33 -0500
  • Sandra Moscoso
    signed 2018-12-15 08:10:20 -0500
  • Dan Early
    signed 2018-12-15 08:09:25 -0500