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

Nathan Yarasavage
Paul Turner
Jean Kohanek
Kaitlyn Bolan
Rebecca Levin
David Poms
Christine Wozniak
Greg Montross
Daniel Hernandez
Bruce Davis
Lisa Cutler
Tarah Demant
Megan Kearns
Eve Zhurbinskiy
Keith Lawrence
Katie Coester
Jennifer Cole
Katy OToole
D. E. Reedy
Allyson Pakstis
David Crutchfield
Kana Smith
Mary Mitchell-Whisnant
Thomas Parker
Veronica Wilson
Elizabeth Twarog
Howard Park
Keith Boyea
Karthik Balasubramanian
4,004 SIGNATURES
4,000 signatures

Will you sign?

  • Nathan Yarasavage
    signed 2018-12-14 12:26:04 -0500
  • Paul Turner
    signed 2018-12-14 12:25:47 -0500
  • Jean Kohanek
    signed 2018-12-14 12:25:43 -0500
  • Kaitlyn Bolan
    signed 2018-12-14 12:25:38 -0500
  • Rebecca Levin
    signed via 2018-12-14 12:25:30 -0500
  • David Poms
    signed 2018-12-14 12:23:26 -0500
  • Christine Wozniak
    signed 2018-12-14 12:23:24 -0500
  • Greg Montross
    signed 2018-12-14 12:23:21 -0500
  • Daniel Hernandez
    signed 2018-12-14 12:23:10 -0500
    With the housing shortages, dedicating so much land to an NFL stadium, which have been shown in stadiums across the country to be a waste of tax-payer investment, is thoroughly inappropriate.
  • Bruce Davis
    signed 2018-12-14 12:22:36 -0500
    We DO NOT need to have this area developed for the NFL team on a streamlined basis or otherwise. They have their fields elsewhere, reachable by mass transportation. Return the previous RFK area to the people of the District for parks and athletic fields.
  • Lisa Cutler
    signed 2018-12-14 12:21:14 -0500
  • Tarah Demant
    signed 2018-12-14 12:20:44 -0500
    Not only do I think a stadium is a bad idea in this space and will not serve our neighborhood, but I DOUBLY oppose a stadium for a team with a offensively racist name
  • Megan Kearns
    signed 2018-12-14 12:20:25 -0500
  • Eve Zhurbinskiy
    signed 2018-12-14 12:20:15 -0500
  • Keith Lawrence
    signed 2018-12-14 12:19:15 -0500
    Local residents are overwhelmingly opposed to plans to situate a new Redskins stadium at this site.


    The alternative vision for the site, which includes more recreational facilities, natural spaces, and access to the river, is a beautiful vision which would have huge benefits for DC residents and position DC as a green, active city for the 21st century – not a backward looking urban area focused on watching professional sports.


    Please do not secretly put a rider in the federal spending bill to facilitate a new stadium at the current RFK site.


    Please do not remove the language limiting uses of the site to recreation-only purposes.


    Please do not exempt development plans from local review.


    The RFK site is too important to be signed away in a secret backroom deal.
  • Katie Coester
    signed 2018-12-14 12:19:12 -0500
  • Jennifer Cole
    signed 2018-12-14 12:18:31 -0500
  • Katy OToole
    signed 2018-12-14 12:18:15 -0500
  • D. E. Reedy
    signed 2018-12-14 12:18:05 -0500
    A new NFL stadium is a horrible idea. I don’t hate football, but land in DC is at a premium, and using this much of it for a stadium that would be rarely used is ridiculous. We don’t need extra stadium space, with plenty of large venues around the city, including both a baseball and soccer stadium within the city. Worst of all, this is ideal land for recreational use. Why would we waste it on something that will not benefit the citizens of the District?
  • Allyson Pakstis
    signed 2018-12-14 12:17:38 -0500
  • David Crutchfield
    signed 2018-12-14 12:17:20 -0500
    David Bradford Crutchfield
  • Kana Smith
    signed 2018-12-14 12:16:58 -0500
    There are so many better ideas than to put a football stadium in this area. Even when it was just the soccer stadium there was too much traffic and no parking in this area; it’s not suitable for a football stadium. DC should also not get saddled into paying for it, there are so many better programs that our taxpayer funds should be going towards. Helping create more affordable housing, better schools, increasing daycare slots for low income families, etc!
  • Chad B Anderson
    @andchadb tweeted link to this page. 2018-12-14 12:16:28 -0500
    Sign the petition: Hail No to a New Stadium at RFK - Add Your Name Below https://www.hailnorfk.com/?recruiter_id=1217648
  • Mary Mitchell-Whisnant
    signed 2018-12-14 12:16:28 -0500
  • Thomas Parker
    signed 2018-12-14 12:16:21 -0500
    No football at RFK….terrible traffic. Tom Parker
  • Veronica Wilson
    signed 2018-12-14 12:15:52 -0500
    Veronica P Wilson
  • Elizabeth Twarog
    signed 2018-12-14 12:14:50 -0500
  • Howard Park
    signed 2018-12-14 12:14:27 -0500
    As a native of St. Louis I’ve seen how the NFL works and pits cities and neighborhoods against each other. Just say no to the NFL.
  • Keith Boyea
    signed 2018-12-14 12:14:23 -0500
  • Karthik Balasubramanian
    signed 2018-12-14 12:12:55 -0500
    Karthik Balasubramanian