A group of the Franklin Park Defenders, along with new mayoral candidate Josh Kraft, rallied in the freezing weather outside White Stadium as it was being demolished Wednesday — calling once again for a halt to the mayor’s plan for a new pro women’s soccer facility.

“This really needs to stop,” said Marti Glynn, a Dorchester resident on the border of Franklin Park. “The trees are important, but our kids are important, and the $100 million that’s going to be charged to all of us, to Boston’s taxpayers, is outrageous.”

The city began demolition on White Stadium in Franklin Park last Friday, forging ahead with the private-public plan between BPS and Boston Soccer Unity Partners to renovate the stadium into a home for a new professional women’s soccer team over continued opposition from some in the community.

The protesters, joined by Kraft in a statement issued Tuesday, have called on Mayor Michelle Wu to halt the project at least until their ongoing legal challenge goes to trial on Mar. 18. Kraft said Wednesday the opponents have felt “unequivocally unheard” by the Wu administration.

“When you spend $100-plus million on a public entity, then you’ve got to really take your time and make sure you can get as many ducks lined up as you can,” said Kraft. “And Mar. 18 is a court date. And just me personally, it makes sense to wait till the 18th to see what the judicial process holds.”

At an unrelated event Wednesday, Mayor Michelle Wu responded to the calls to stop the demolition, citing a previous court decision declining to halt the project last March. The judge, she said, stated the case was “case was extremely unlikely to succeed on the merits” and they feel “very confident” moving forward after about two years of planning.

“We have signed that lease,” said Wu. “We’re moving forward as we had said we would. And at this point, it is not only irresponsible to break a legal lease, but we cannot ask students in our schools to wait yet again, after decades and decades of broken promises that this project would get done.”

Wu noted the stadium would be the only such facility rented by a professional sports team while owned by a public school district and “dedicated primarily for the use of student athletes.”

Supporters also held a virtual rally Wednesday afternoon in response to what they called “misinformed efforts continue to drive this narrative that neighbors do not want this project or that it’s a half-baked plan.” The conference included Franklin Park advocates, residents and BPS students and coaches.

Opponents echoed their long held concerns Wednesday, from the loss of the park’s trees and historically significant resources, to the privatization of a long-held public neighborhood amenity, to the ballooning cost. The project’s price rose again from $50 million to $100 million in January.

Protester and nearby resident Priscilla Andrade noted the city never put forth alternative options for the stadium renovation project.

“If it’s only this public-private partnership or nothing, then it’s really not about Boston Public Schools,” said Andrade. “It’s not really about public park use, and it’s really not about the general public, because we’re not being engaged in that process in a way that actually serves us.”

Protesters, including mayoral candidate Josh Kraft rallied against the destruction of White Stadium Wednesday. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
A backhoe rips apart the stands at White Stadium. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
Mayoral candidate Josh Kraft (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)