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

Emily Black
Jessica P.
Lauri Andrews
Stephenne Harding
Michele Mietus-Snyder
Amanda Barry
Anthony DeAngelo
Kari Cunningham
Jennifer McZier
John Canon
Erica Samalis
William Reckley
Tess Km
Justin Lini
Maria Olmedo-Malagon
Stephanie Nelson
Alexis Krieg
Sanjay Acharya
Michael Wray
Jennifer Dumas
Tim Woodford
Michael Kaiser
Jodi Sanger
Tony Santucci
Everson Hull
Serra Sippel
Michael Merino
Ligia Paina Bergman
Tara Gilligan
Katherine Chesson
4,004 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Emily Black
    signed 2018-12-14 14:42:47 -0500
    As a resident of DC and Capitol Hill (and someone that visits Kingman Island regularly) I would love to see this space be used as something for the whole community—not just fans of the Redskins. I also find the name the Redskins to be offensive and do not believe they should play on public lands while they hold the name. Nor do I want my tax dollars to go to allowing them in the city while they hold the name.
  • Jessica P.
    signed 2018-12-14 14:41:17 -0500
  • Lauri Andrews
    signed 2018-12-14 14:41:15 -0500
  • Stephenne Harding
    signed 2018-12-14 14:41:02 -0500
  • Michele Mietus-Snyder
    signed 2018-12-14 14:40:13 -0500
    The opportunity to expand public green space that will connect to the riverfront and the newly extended network of beautiful Anacostia trails is too good to give up to more concrete and another stadium. Neighbors in Maryland and Virginia seem happy to host NFL football and have private space to do so. National parkland is a treasure that should be reserved for universal access!
  • Amanda Barry
    signed 2018-12-14 14:39:58 -0500
  • Anthony DeAngelo
    signed 2018-12-14 14:39:43 -0500
  • Kari Cunningham
    signed 2018-12-14 14:39:35 -0500
  • Jennifer McZier
    signed 2018-12-14 14:39:19 -0500
  • John Canon
    signed via 2018-12-14 14:38:21 -0500
  • Erica Samalis
    signed 2018-12-14 14:38:18 -0500
  • William Reckley
    signed 2018-12-14 14:38:12 -0500
  • Tess Km
    signed 2018-12-14 14:37:17 -0500
  • Justin Lini
    signed 2018-12-14 14:37:10 -0500
    Justin A. Lini
  • Maria Olmedo-Malagon
    signed 2018-12-14 14:36:47 -0500
  • Stephanie Nelson
    signed 2018-12-14 14:36:43 -0500
    Stephanie Nelson
  • Alexis Krieg
    signed 2018-12-14 14:36:30 -0500
  • Sanjay Acharya
    signed 2018-12-14 14:36:25 -0500
    Sanjay Acharya
  • Michael Wray
    signed 2018-12-14 14:36:02 -0500
    Football not only has a spotted current and past, but what is its future? Can we really continue to justify what we understand of head trauma for our young people.
  • Jennifer Dumas
    signed 2018-12-14 14:35:54 -0500
  • Tim Woodford
    signed 2018-12-14 14:34:59 -0500
  • Michael Kaiser
    signed 2018-12-14 14:34:50 -0500
    Michael Kaiser
  • Jodi Sanger
    signed 2018-12-14 14:34:34 -0500
    I was really looking forward to the redevelopment of the stadium into a space for food, retail, and entertainment for the community. Our neighborhood needs those things much more than a new stadium.
  • Tony Santucci
    signed 2018-12-14 14:34:32 -0500
    Tony Santucci
  • Everson Hull
    signed 2018-12-14 14:34:22 -0500
  • Serra Sippel
    signed 2018-12-14 14:33:40 -0500
  • Michael Merino
    signed 2018-12-14 14:33:39 -0500
    No more corporate welfare! If Snyder wants a new stadium, he can pay for it out of his our pocket. DC, don’t get duped by the promise of new jobs with low wages. We can do better than this for our citizens.
  • Ligia Paina Bergman
    signed 2018-12-14 14:33:07 -0500
  • Tara Gilligan
    signed 2018-12-14 14:31:16 -0500
  • Katherine Chesson
    signed 2018-12-14 14:30:38 -0500