System Failure Alert!

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.

System Failure Alert! is based on a model created by Young Women’s Empowerment Project and is a project of the Coalition for Rights & Safety for People in the Sex Trade. To learn more about SFA! or make a report about a system failure you experienced, please visit the System Failure Alert! website.