BOZEMAN — Current and former tenants and artists of the Emerson Center gathered outside the historic building Friday morning, Nov. 1, to protest what they say is oppressive and abusive behavior by the center's leadership.
A petition created by a former employee of the Emerson claims that Executive Director Susan Denson has created a hostile work environment and that all complaints have been unresolved by the center's board of directors.
More than 240 signatures have been added to the petition in the last two days—sharing stories of unexpected rent increases and intolerant behavior by leadership.
Elizabeth Anthony, a current tenant at the Emerson, tells MTN what protesters hope to see from the petition.
“What we need is, we need a bigger board with open meetings, with transparency about the finances and decision making. And then we need a culture of welcoming the input of artists and creatives who are tenants in the building so that we all have a say in what happens here. That we all have our ideas welcomed and we can make the place vibrant and exciting—the way that I think it was when it first started,” says Anthony.
Despite petitioners alleging failures by leadership, a letter from the Board of Directors states its support of the protestors’ right to share their persepctive.
The letter then goes on to list the Emerson's accomplishments in the past year, including that tenant rates are 33% lower than current market rates.
This week, MTN will be speaking with Executive Director Susan Denson to further learn about leadership's perspective on the situation.
