System Failure Alert! is a grass-roots project based in Seattle/King County and neighboring areas in Washington State that empowers street youth and other people by sharing our stories and experiences about “system failures”–problems we encounter with social services, medical providers, law enforcement, transit, and other systems that are supposed to help us but often fail to do so–and how we deal with these problems and take care of ourselves.
“System failures” include: verbal or physical violence, harassment, threats, rejection, discrimination (race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, source of income, housing status, etc.), judgmental attitudes, policies and procedures that are unfair, and other mistreatment by institutions and organizations that are supposed to help us. We collect and share these stories to establish patterns of systemic abuse, build power for ourselves, and hold the offending institutions accountable.
Join us! You can contribute your stories online, on paper, or at any of our partner community organizations (to be announced soon). If you want to get involved in SFA! further, see our get involved page.
text & voicemail: (713) 364-4475
email: info@systemfailurealert.org
postal: SFA!/CHR, PO Box 3484, Federal Way, WA 98063
System Failure Alert! is a project of the Coalition for Rights & Safety for People in the Sex Trade and its partners.
Our organizing model is based on Bad Encounter Line program at Young Women’s Empowerment Project. Thank you Shira (Just Practice), Dominique (Street Youth Rise UP), and other YWEP alumni for sharing their experiences with us.