In a new series of posts, we'll interview different people in Hayes Valley to learn more about the individuals who call this place home. We'll ask questions about their personal life, opinions of the neighborhood, and what they do with their free time in San Francisco. Join us today as we chat with Patrick Connors, a 13-year resident of Hayes Valley and the brains behind an award-winning Twitter account.
Hoodline: Hi Patrick. Thanks so much for meeting with us. You just came from work. What do you do?
Patrick: I work at the Bar Association of SF and schedule court calendars. So I work with the public defender's office and when a person can't be represented by a public defender, I help provide an attorney.
Very cool. Makes sense given some of the stuff you talk about online.
Yes. It fits nicely with my interests of city and politics, it's not overly political but it's involved in the city.
Where did you grow up and live before here?
I was born and grew up in Buffalo, New York.
When did you move to San Francisco?
1995. I was laid off from a job I had (an ill-fitting career) so I escaped. There was one person I knew in SF so I had a chance to check the place out. I was 30 and had enough of winter. And it's super gay so it's a natural force.
How long have you lived in Hayes Valley?
We moved into our apartment in 2001. A friend of ours owned the building and lived upstairs so that's how we found about it. That friend sold the building a few years ago. We got anxious, but the new landlord has been great… but it does add a layer of terror.
What did you think of Hayes Valley when you first moved here in 2001?
I moved from a walk-in closet style studio with a single window in the middle, so to me, it was moving on up to have windows. But at the same time, there were a lot of characters. There were people squatting between parked cars and smoking. I assume it was crack since you don't have to do that to smoke marijuana. There's a bus stop in front of my building where people would drunk howl. They don't howl as much.
Well, what do you think of the area now?
Well, it's luxurious. Lovely... but getting very crowded. There's a lot about these 2 blocks that reminds me of Chestnut Street in the Marina. Sidebar: I think Chestnut Street might be wider.
What's your favorite thing about Hayes Valley today?
There's a couple. I'm inclined to say the outside patio next to Hayes and Kebab. Also, one of my favorite places is sitting on Charles's lap (owner of Souvla). But I don't think my husband would enjoy me saying that.
What drives you crazy about the neighborhood?
The neighborhood association. They're well known, well regarded, organized group but in the past they've been so small-business focused and keeping chains out, and now with all the housing coming in and it being all luxury, feels like they missed the boat.
How so?
There could have been more insistence on more BMR housing considering the number of projects since the freeway ripped out, it's been an extremely long process. Disappointing that more interest in small business integrity came at the expense of keeping people here in an affordable way.
If you could live anywhere else in SF, where would you move?
I would love a flat with a bedroom with a door on it. It was a goal to buy a couch by 40 and I did that. Next it was a goal to have a bedroom with a door by 50 and I might miss that. So I'd say having a flat in the Haight or Mission or Castro. I only want a bedroom door.
You're pretty well-known on Twitter. You even won an award. Tell us about that.
SFWeekly. It was a Reader's Poll of local Twitter accounts to follow. I didn't even know it was a thing. I think Dan Jackson sent out a tweet tagging me saying "OMG congrats" and that's how I found it.
We've noticed you like to take pictures of guys on the 21 and in coffee shops. Do they ever notice? Has anyone said anything to you?
I've been caught on Twitter. Someone will respond "I know that guy" and add their Twitter handle. The pictures I take of guys... I get twice as much as response from women saying "wow" or complimenting my taste than I do hear from guys. There's this one guy I see in the neighborhood a lot and I know he knows I take pictures of him, but I don't think he minds. He likes getting attention. People are appalled by privacy issues but no one has said anything.
So, let's talk about your username, @uppityfag. Where did that come from?
I was asked to write for The Snitch (SFWeekly) by Will Harper. I hadn't done any writing at that point. I was friends with his wife and based on the stuff I posted on FB, he said I should be his queer columnist which was really cool. He said I had to have a Twitter account. We were talking about other things in the news and how I wanted something against the Democratic machine and he asked me if I was an uppity fag and that's how I got it.
How much of what you tweet is really you and how much of it is for fun or a persona?
You should ask other people. It's a lot of me. My first inclination in person isn't to be such an asshole... but it is under the surface.
Any favorite Twitter accounts to follow?
I've been getting to know a lot of people. So aside from my friends, I've developed a love for local Twitter account news feeds. So every goddamn news station across the country has an account and I hear an office story about a child locked in a breadbox in Tucson, I'll search for more info and follow their news channels.
You're notorious for your hashtags, especially with pictures. We want to see you in action. We're going to show you a series of pictures and you tell us what hashtags you would use to describe them.
Sounds good.
Picture #1
Hashtags: #luxury #taint #sfcastro #SFglbt #bidet
Picture #2
Hashtags: #shitter #icecream #hayesvalley #toocold #notluxury
Shitter? Are you lactose intolerant?
Nope, I just think if you look at the logo quickly, it looks like it says "Shitter."
Okay. Moving on. Picture #3:
Hashtags: #poodle #buttbaby #easter #resurrection #cake
Picture #4
Hashtags: #deathcorner #luxury #hayesvalley #sfvalues #transitfirst
So based on your tweets and comments on Hoodline and other blogs, we've gathered you're not the world's biggest fan of new housing projects. Especially condos. Can you tell us about that?
It's definitely 2 different things. The development itself was/is exciting. I love the promise of development. I'm conscious about it. The reaction people have is that I or others are opposed to development. I'm not. What concerns me is that I'm not knowledgeable enough to know how to advocate for myself as a renter or resident in a city that's changing very quickly around me.
The other part is it makes me scared as a man of a certain age that my time in San Francisco may be even less than I wanted. That I won't be able to stay here very longer or have an income to help us stay here. I'm learning to advocate more and wish I was more ahead of the ball than behind it, but getting better.
And I don't believe that for the most part that my representatives have my best interest (supervisors, mayor). I have to rely too much on them and not sure they have me in mind.
Is there anything you'd like to share with the Hoodline community before we call this a wrap?
I'm working on a weekly YouTube summary of my life in San Francisco and I'm calling it "Fecal Matters."
If you want to nominate someone in the neighborhood to be featured, please email jared {at} hoodline {dot} com and let him know some information about that person.
