'We're shutting it down:' DC activists plan protest against Capitals, Wizards move to Virginia

WASHINGTON - The battle is brewing over the Washington Capitals and Wizards possibly moving to Alexandria, Virginia, as a long-time D.C. activist now calls for protests and a boycott.

"We’re shutting it now. We’re letting Ted Leonsis know, we’re going to stop the move or stop business as usual," said "Don’t Mute DC" Co-founder and long-time D.C. activist Ron Moten in a video posted to Instagram. The video announced that on January 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, "Don’t Mute DC’s" Go-Go Float will ride in protest from the Southeast D.C.’s Entertainment and Sports Arena (ESA) where the Mystics and Capital City Go-Go play, to the Capital One Arena in Northwest D.C.

"We feel like we’ve been betrayed," Moten told FOX 5. "What he’s planning to do would be devastating to D.C. economy, not just for tax purposes but job-purposes. A lot of people East of the River, where he made a lot of promises East of the River would be affected."

"[We’re] looking for him to invest in us just like we’ve invested into a losing team, forever," he added."

Moten is calling on people to patron the arena’s area businesses and watch the game there, instead of buying tickets. 

Moten said he’s especially concerned about what could happen to one of the city’s poorest wards, Ward 8, if both the Washington Wizards and Capitals move to Virginia. That move could then pull the WNBA’s Mystics out of Southeast D.C. to now play at the Capital One arena in Downtown D.C.

Back in 2015, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Majority owner Ted Leonsis announced a 19-year-lease for the state-of-the-art Southeast Entertainment and Sports Arena. The Southeast venue was billed as a $55 million joint venture projected to produce $90 million in new tax revenues over 20 years. City leaders said it would bring jobs that could help build up the area’s middle class.  

Alexandria City Mayor Justin Wilson called on residents to consider the move if they’re looking to see lower residential tax rates. Wilson noted in his "January 2024 Council Connection Letter" released on January 1.

Wilson noted the city is expected to collect $856.4 million to fund the city government. Wilson said about 19% is coming from a commercial tax base as fewer businesses are willing to lease office space post-pandemic. He says nearly 81% is expected to come from residential tax revenue sources.

Part of Mayor Wilson’s community letter reads:

"According to analysis by HR&A Advisors this proposal will provide nearly a billion dollars of permanent annual economic output for City, just from the first phase, which includes the corporate headquarters for Monumental Sports, the Monumental Sports Network Studio, the arena, the performing arts venue, team facilities and the arena parking garage. That same analysis shows that this first phase, would catalyze an additional $5.6 billion of permanent annual economic output within the City. Together, this is projected to be $3.6 billion of additional permanent annual economic output beyond what would occur without this catalyst…"

As far as the Washington Mystics possibly being pulled out of Southeast, the D.C. Mayor’s Office tells FOX 5 in a statement:

The District’s contract with Monumental Sports requires that the Mystics play their home games and the Wizards hold their practices at the Entertainment and Sports Arena until 2037. The District honors its contracts, and we trust and expect our partners to do the same.

 This partnership and the arena it built have been a catalyst for change in Ward 8, creating jobs and opportunity and paving the way for new housing, retail, and health care on the St. Elizabeths East Campus. The Mystics organization and players have been strong supporters of Ward 8, and the community has embraced the team right back. We look forward to continuing this shared success.

A Monumental Sports and Entertainment Spokesperson told FOX 5:

The fandom of women’s sports has exploded in recent years and the Mystics are consistently selling out their home games. The team deserves a game-day experience that matches the size and passion of their fanbase, and we are committed to investing toward it. We believe we can create a tailored gameday experience for that expanding fanbase and provide the space for this championship-winning team to continue growing the franchise to play for 10,000 fans within 3-5 years. 

 The Mystics will continue practicing at ESA, the Capital City Go-Go would also continue to practice and play there, and we will continue investing in the local community. Over the past seven years, we have donated nearly $11 million directly to the Ward 8 community in addition to making lease payments and generating tax revenue. Under this proposed plan, MSE would continue to invest directly – with no public funding – in maintaining Capital One Arena’s standing as one of the busiest arenas in the nation. And we envision it to serve as the WNBA’s Washington Mystics’ future home.

 Monumental Sports (MSE) appreciates the passion of fans and we are in the business of sports because we share in the belief of its power to bring communities together. That is why we remain firmly committed to continuing the operation of Capital One Arena and using the Ward 8 location as the practice facility for the Mystics and Capital City Go-Go, and for the Go-Go to play their games there.

 We firmly believe that by remaining rooted in this community and investing in our teams, we can continue to contribute to the vibrant sports culture of the Washington, D.C. region while fostering the growth of women's sports and the dedicated fanbase of the Mystics.

FOX 5 is told while Monumental is making plans, a large part of those plans depends on whether the deal to move to Alexandria is approved.