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

Lauren Musick
Janette Rodrigues
Lyndsey Medsker
Paul Hyden
Stephane Ramet
Richard Rosendall
Wael Mickail
Chetan Shenoy
Evan Yeats
Gary Dziekan
Gregory Lewis
Rich Shea
Rebecca Trautmann
Catherine Plume
Jenny Griggs
Laura Padin
Laree Martin
Jim Dougherty
Emma Locatelli
Jen Druliner
Marlene Walker-Golden
Pearl Bailes
Valeria Cottini
Andy Waiters
Josh Nassar
Liza Rao
Kevin Goldberg
Sara DePaul
John K
Cherie Lester
4,002 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Lauren Musick
    signed 2018-12-14 14:27:35 -0500
  • Janette Rodrigues
    signed 2018-12-14 14:26:10 -0500
  • Lyndsey Medsker
    signed 2018-12-14 14:25:11 -0500
  • Paul Hyden
    signed 2018-12-14 14:24:57 -0500
  • Stephane Ramet
    signed via 2018-12-14 14:24:16 -0500
  • Richard Rosendall
    signed 2018-12-14 14:23:28 -0500
    The prospect of a big stadium deal is a drug that too many politicians can’t seem to break themselves from. Where is the learning curve? Enough already.
  • Wael Mickail
    signed 2018-12-14 14:23:07 -0500
  • Chetan Shenoy
    signed 2018-12-14 14:23:05 -0500
  • Evan Yeats
    signed 2018-12-14 14:22:57 -0500
  • Gary Dziekan
    signed 2018-12-14 14:22:43 -0500
  • Gregory Lewis
    signed 2018-12-14 14:21:49 -0500
  • Rich Shea
    signed 2018-12-14 14:21:49 -0500
  • Rebecca Trautmann
    signed 2018-12-14 14:21:33 -0500
    In addition to all of the reasons listed above, Washington, DC, should not be home to a team with such an offensive, hurtful, racist name and mascot and with such blatant disregard for the harm it does.
  • Catherine Plume
    signed via 2018-12-14 14:21:24 -0500
    We don’t need an NFL football stadium in DC. Please don’t let this happen!
  • Jenny Griggs
    signed 2018-12-14 14:20:17 -0500
  • Laura Padin
    signed 2018-12-14 14:20:16 -0500
  • Laree Martin
    signed 2018-12-14 14:19:19 -0500
    Ward 6 is my home, and I can’t afford game tickets. I want to see this land used for things that directly benefit our community.
  • Jim Dougherty
    signed 2018-12-14 14:19:11 -0500
    Commercial development should be encouraged. But it should take place on private land, not National Park land. Our National Park land is being taken away steadily, acre by acre.
  • Emma Locatelli
    signed 2018-12-14 14:18:03 -0500
  • Jen Druliner
    signed 2018-12-14 14:18:01 -0500
  • Marlene Walker-Golden
    signed 2018-12-14 14:17:59 -0500
    Marlene Walker-Golden – the team abandoned DC when we needed them most, now that we don’t need them let’s not invite them back. It will cost too much money that is needed elsewhere.
  • Pearl Bailes
    signed via 2018-12-14 14:16:19 -0500
  • Valeria Cottini
    signed 2018-12-14 14:16:05 -0500
    The area is in the middle of DC and should be used all year around but everybody and not just for a lightly used stadium that will be convenient only for few that makes money out of this choice.
  • Andy Waiters
    signed 2018-12-14 14:16:03 -0500
  • Josh Nassar
    signed via 2018-12-14 14:15:16 -0500
  • Liza Rao
    signed via 2018-12-14 14:14:13 -0500
  • Kevin Goldberg
    signed 2018-12-14 14:13:51 -0500
  • Sara DePaul
    signed 2018-12-14 14:13:34 -0500
  • John K
    signed 2018-12-14 14:13:28 -0500
  • Cherie Lester
    signed 2018-12-14 14:12:34 -0500