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

Jan Lane
Jennifer Carey
Valerie Zweig
Adam Welti
Jane Angarola
robert stillwell
Diana Rubin
Mark Wenzler
Harold Maupin
Jackie Havard
Michael Buckalew
Barbara Arbiter
Caleb-Michael Files
Jack Peterson
Adam Matuszeski
Stefan Hankin
Cicely Thomas
Craig Auster
Trey Reffett
Sarah Wilson
Nicole Kadomiya
Lisa Whitley
Brittany Brown
Marsha Cromwell
Charles Ellis
Zach Teutsch
Grant Weekes
Karla Yoder
Balchander Jayaraman
4,004 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Jan Lane
    signed 2018-12-14 22:32:22 -0500
  • Jennifer Carey
    signed 2018-12-14 22:28:34 -0500
  • Valerie Zweig
    signed 2018-12-14 22:26:55 -0500
  • Adam Welti
    signed 2018-12-14 22:25:02 -0500
  • AthenaFTW
    @amfulay tweeted link to this page. 2018-12-14 22:24:50 -0500
    Sign the petition: Hail No to a New Stadium at RFK - Add Your Name Below https://www.hailnorfk.com/?recruiter_id=1144781
  • Jane Angarola
    signed 2018-12-14 22:23:09 -0500
  • robert stillwell
    signed 2018-12-14 22:21:14 -0500
    A football stadium isn’t the right fit for that area anymore.
  • Diana Rubin
    signed via 2018-12-14 22:14:47 -0500
  • Mark Wenzler
    signed 2018-12-14 22:12:18 -0500
  • Harold Maupin
    signed 2018-12-14 22:05:42 -0500
    Harold Maupin
  • Jackie Havard
    signed 2018-12-14 22:04:49 -0500
  • Michael Buckalew
    signed 2018-12-14 22:04:28 -0500
  • Barbara Arbiter
    signed 2018-12-14 22:01:52 -0500
  • Caleb-Michael Files
    signed 2018-12-14 21:42:29 -0500
  • Jack Peterson
    signed 2018-12-14 21:40:25 -0500
  • Adam Matuszeski
    signed via 2018-12-14 21:36:48 -0500
    The Redskins need a reboot. Bench them until they get their act together.
  • Stefan Hankin
    signed 2018-12-14 21:36:14 -0500
    Stefan Hankin
  • Cicely Thomas
    signed 2018-12-14 21:35:49 -0500
  • Craig Auster
    signed 2018-12-14 21:30:31 -0500
  • Trey Reffett
    signed 2018-12-14 21:20:53 -0500
  • Sarah Wilson
    signed 2018-12-14 21:19:22 -0500
  • Nicole Kadomiya
    signed 2018-12-14 21:17:48 -0500
  • Lisa Whitley
    signed 2018-12-14 21:17:07 -0500
  • Brittany Brown
    signed 2018-12-14 21:16:56 -0500
  • Marsha Cromwell
    signed 2018-12-14 21:15:44 -0500
  • Charles Ellis
    signed via 2018-12-14 21:15:15 -0500
    I subscribe to the comments you provided above, and also those of Council Member Charles Allen (Ward 6). I would add, first, that the discussion of the future of the RFK stadium and property should be public, NOT done in secret. Plans, prices, the allocation of city expenditures, and the nature of the proposed uses should be discussed in public, with lots of public information and opportunities to comment. Next, the uses of the RFK stadium and property — now mostly parking lots — should be aimed at serving District residents and protecting or enhancing the local environment. Some possibilities:

    affordable, decent, and attractive housing (pegged to serve people with 30% to 50% of area mean income, not 80 or 100%); a city park and natural area designed to attract visitors while protecting the environment of the nearby Anacostia River; a public (NOT charter or private) school building with natural areas outside, again designed to protect the environment of the nearby Anacostia River, and enhance school children’s experience of playgrounds and fields and school surroundings.
  • Zach Teutsch
    signed 2018-12-14 21:14:27 -0500
  • Grant Weekes
    signed 2018-12-14 21:14:01 -0500
    Grant Weekes
  • Karla Yoder
    signed 2018-12-14 21:08:29 -0500
  • Balchander Jayaraman
    signed 2018-12-14 21:05:26 -0500