UPDATE: Faetopia event at old Tower Records <del>in jeopardy?</del> back on

  UPDATE (5:54PM): Kyle DeVries called to let us know that Supervisor Scott Wiener reached out to building owner Kent Jeffreys on their behalf and Faetopia is now back on for their opening Friday evening. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- According to a post on Facebook made by Faetopia organizer Kyle DeVries, RadioShack, under threat of lawsuit, forced the property owner of the old Tower Records location (2286 Market Street) to shut down the queer event that was to be hosted there citing that the odor of paint from Faetopia's setup has caused a loss of business. For those unfamiliar with the event, Faetopia is a pop-up queer arts, ecology, theater and community event that runs during Pride season from June 21st to June 28th. The property owner has gifted the space to the group three times in the past.

We contacted Kyle DeVries, the RadioShack employee and the building's maintenance manager to find out what was going on. Turns out the issue is not as dramatic as that, but is dramatic in a different way. It all started this morning when the RadioShack employee opened the store for business. Upon entering, the employee was overwhelmed by the smell of paint fumes. The night before, Faetopia volunteers were next door, painting and setting up for the event scheduled to open on Friday. The store opener contacted the building maintenance manager, Ben Edmonton, to try and get a fan to help clear out the odor. Edmonton mentioned the group had no liability insurance and, therefore, concerned about the property owners liability regarding the possibility of RadioShack suing for employee health reasons, contacted the property owner, Kent Jeffreys. Speaking with Faetopia organizer DeVries, he mentioned that one of the stipulations of Jeffreys agreeing to allow his group to use the space is that they have liability insurance. Each time, Faetopia has complied with this stipulation through the support of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

According to Edmonton, he and Jeffreys were also only aware of Faetopia using the location for two days (despite using the space for the Faetopia event twice in the past for extended time periods). Edmonton stated that the use of the empty space was requested of Jeffreys by Cafe Flore owner, JD Petras who has utlized the space before without any problems. Citing the length of time Faetopia wanted to use the space and how long they have actually been there and also citing worries about liability, Edmonton said that Jeffreys decided that the event should be shut down. The RadioShack employee noted that her intention was never to get the event shutdown and that she loves the queer community. After being told to find a different location for the event, DeVries released this post on Facebook,

"Dear Community, I have horrible news. Faetopia is almost certainly cancelled. Apparently, there already existed an adversarial relationship between building tenant Radioshack and the building owner. Radioshack complained to corporate because of some minor paint fumes coming from our setup. They never once came to us or spoke with us at all. Corporate Radioshack, who was already suing the building owner over something else, then decided to initiate a lawsuit for "loss of business" due to the smell of paint. The building owner has panicked and ordered us to be taken down by the end of the day. Please come and help us. We need hands and we need love. I can't communicate how hard this is on me personally, and I know how disappointing this is for everyone else as well. I will be trying to find venues to host the artwork and performances we had lined up, but I honestly don't know how much energy I will have to devote to this. If you have any ideas please get in touch with me. Most of all, hold all of us who have put so much time and love into Faetopia in your hearts."

At the same time he unwittingly unleashed an angry group of fey boys who, armed with misinformation, directed their frustration at RadioShack by calling and going into the store to complain.

We contacted Supervisor Scott Wiener's office, which had already heard about the situation, and asked what his thoughts were and if he would be able to do anything to help. Wiener replied that he is a big fan of Faetopia and that he wants to see it succeed. He said that his office is working with Faetopia and the building owner to see how they can keep the event going at that location. Later, Kyle DeVries updated Facebook saying that they were meeting with the property owner later today to discuss allowing the event to continue and clearing RadioShack and the property owner, Kent Jeffreys, of any nefariousness. From the looks of it, the event will still move forward at its current location, but we'll let you know the final word once we hear.