We did it, everyone! The Erie Art Musem announced today that they have fired Joshua Helmer, and we no doubt had much to do with this decision. This is a cause for celebration and reflection. What are our next steps? The statement from the Erie Art Museum is lackluster and insubstantial, and we have questions that need answered. I sent a statement to ErieNewsNow and Jet 24 that reads as follows:

"Thank you to the board for doing the right thing and responding to public outcry by firing Joshua Helmer. The community's concerns, however, still remain relevant and we have questions that need to be answered. Why was he hired in the first place? Why didn't the board fire him after one of the art museum's interns complained? Why did it take a New York Times article and a petition with 3,000 signatures for them to take action? Who knew about this and chose to do nothing? What are they going to do in the future to make sure that this doesn't happen again? What will they do to protect their employees, interns, and volunteers from sexual misconduct and unwanted advances? These are questions that the board needs to answer and we won't stop asking until they do."

Thank you to everyone who took the time to sign and share this petition!